ev.  Charles  A. G. Stork. 
Rev.  Theophi lu s  Stork. 


>     .  R 


RK.  D.D 


DUKE 
UNIVERSITY 


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THE 


STORK  FAMILY 

IN  THE 

LUTHERAN  CHURCH: 

OR 

BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

OF 

REV.  CHARLES  AUGUSTUS  GOTTLIEB  STORK, 
REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  IX,  AND 
REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  I).  D. 


BY 

JOHN  G.  MORRIS,  D.  D.,  LL.D., 

AUTHOR  OF  "FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  MINISTRY,"  "JOURNEYS  OF 
LUTHER,"  "LUTHER  AT  COBURG,"  ETC.,  ETC. 


PHILADELPHIA  : 
LUTHERAN  PUBLICATION  SOCIETY. 


Copyright,  1886, 

BY  THE 

LUTHERAN  PUBLICATION  SOCIETY. 


2  84, 


PREFACE. 


lHIS  volume  is  the  first  contribution  to  the  series  of 


A  biographies  of  some  deceased  ministers,  which  the 
Board  of  Publication  has  resolved  to  issue.  It  is  singu- 
lar in  one  respect,  that  it  embraces  the  sketches  of  three 
men  of  the  same  name,  and  bearing  to  each  other  the 
near  relations  of  grandfather,  son  and  grandson.  There 
are  similar  kinships  in  a  few  of  the  families  of  our  min- 
isters, but  as  the  grandsons  are  still  living,  it  is  not  likely 
that  for  years  there  will  be  another  book  published  in 
which  the  lives  of  all  three  shall  be  narrated. 

The  writer  of  the  present  volume  regrets  that  he  was 
limited  to  so  small  a  space  for  the  full  exhibition  of  the 
lives  of  these  three  most  worthy  men.  He  was  com- 
pelled reluctantly  to  omit  much  that  would  have  more 
fully  illustrated  their  characters,  but  as  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  writings  of  two  of  them  has  been  published 
in  books,  reviews,  magazines  and  church  papers,  he  was 
not  permitted  by  the  committee  of  the  Board  to  intro- 
duce any  of  them,  even  extracts,  into  their  biographies. 
The  writer  has  availed  himself  of  the  help  generously 


(3) 


4 


PREFACE. 


furnished  by  relatives  and  friends  ;  but  much  of  it  he  was 
obliged  to  lay  aside  for  fear  of  enlarging  the  book  beyond 
the  prescribed  limits. 

It  is  hoped  that  other  volumes,  which  have  been  as- 
signed to  competent  writers,  will  rapidly  follow  this  fore- 
runner of  the  series. 

J.  G,  M. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Charles  Augustus  Gottlieb  Stork,   7 

Theophilus  Stork,  D.  D.,  29 

Charles  A.  Stork,  D.  D.,  128 

1* 


PUBLISHERS'  NOTE. 


The  publishers  very  much  regret  that  they  are  unable  to  give 
the  likeness  of  Rev  Charles  Augustus  Gottlieb  Stork,  on 
the  Frontispiece,  with  those  of  Rev.  Theophilus  Stork,  D.D., 
and  Rev.  Charles  A.  Stork,  D.  D. 

A  diligent  inquiry  among  his  descendants  failed  to  find  a 
daguerreotype  or  photograph  of  him.  He  lived  in  an  age  when 
"likenesses  "  were  not  as  common  as  they  have  since  become. 


CHARLES  AUGUSTUS  GOTTLIEB  STORK. 


CHAPTER  I. 

BIRTH — PARENTAGE — SCHOOL  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE — 
MINISTRY. 

WHEN  the  intelligent  son  of  a  venerated  father, 
after  a  visit  to  the  scenes  of  his  birth  and  boyhood 
a  few  -years  subsequent  to  his  father's  death,  says,  "  I 
was  unable  to  secure  a  single  book  or  manuscript,  or  even 
an  autograph,  and  I  am  left  without  the  simplest  relic  of 
my  father,"  the  biographer  is  compelled  to  depend  ex- 
clusively upon  tradition  for  facts,  the  reports  of  cotem- 
poraries,  which  are  often  exaggerated  or  perverted,  the 
records  of  the  churches  which  he  served,  the  proceedings 
of  the  synod  of  which  he  was  a  member,  or  it  may  be 
some  fragmentary  document  from  the  hand  of  the  subject 
of  his  memoir,  which  has  escaped  the  destruction  of  all  his 
other  writings. 

This  unfortunately  is  the  case  with  the  subject  of  this 
brief  biography.  There  is  nothing  extant  from  his  own 
hand  relating  to  his  life,  except  an  imperfect  manuscript 
detailing  some  incidents  of  his  career,  most  of  which  are 
included  in  Dr.  Bernheim's  book  on  the  German  Settle- 
ments and  the  Lutherans  in  the  Carolinas.    All  my  infor- 

(7) 


8 


THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


mation  is  derived  from  this  admirable  work,  from  Pro- 
fessor Stoever's  Sketch  in  the  Evangelical  Review,  Vol. 
viii,pp.  398-404,  Sprague's  Annals  of  the  American  Luth- 
eran Pulpit,  New  York,  1869,  which  is  almost  entirely 
a  reproduction  of  Professor  Stoever's  article.  Besides 
these,  I  have  some  letters  of  gentlemen  who  knew 
Mr.  Stork,  or  who  lived  within  the  limits  of  his  pastoral 
district,  and  have  known  his  character  from  report.  All 
these  combined  furnish  scant  material  for  an  extended 
biography,  but  we  may  be  sure  of  their  authenticity. 

According  to  his  own  manuscript  journal,  quoted  by 
the  Evangelical  Review,  Vol.  viii.  pp.  398-404,  and  by 
Bernheim  (p.  312),  Charles  Augustus  Gottlieb  Stork 
(originally  StorcJi),  was  born  in  Helmstaedt,  Duchy  of 
Brunswick,  on  June  16th,  1764.  His  father's  name  was 
George  Friederich  Storch,  a  merchant  in  that  city,  and 
his  mother's  name  was  Von  Asseburg.  The  father 
afforded  the  son  all  the  best  educational  advantages  of 
the  day.  Helmstaedt  being  a  university  town,  furnished 
the  best  possible  opportunities  of  instruction,  and  it  was 
no  doubt  owing  in  great  part  to  his  early  training,  that 
he  subsequently  attained  to  such  high  proficiency  as  a 
linguist  and  theologian,  which  is  attributed  to  him  by  all 
who  knew  him. 

The  pious  parents  were  solicitous  not  only  for  the  in- 
tellectual education  of  their  son,  but  more  especially  for 
his  religious  culture.  They  lived  in  the  time  when  the 
influences  of  Spener  and  Francke  and  their  school  of  piet- 
ism flourished  in  its  original  purity,  and  their  godly 
lives  were  conformed  to  the  genuine  gospel  standard. 


CHARLES  AUGUSTUS  GOTTLIEB  STORK.  9 

No  wonder  that  under  such  parental  teaching  and  pious 
example,  their  cherished  son  at  an  early  period  became 
deeply  impressed  with  religious  truth.  The  devoted 
pastor  and  professor  of  theology  in  the  university,  Rev. 
Mr.  Velthusen,  had  special  charge  of  the  boy  in  his  cat- 
echetical class,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  he  was  confirmed, 
agreeably  to  the  custom  at  that  time  universally  preva- 
lent in  the  Lutheran  Church.    This  was  in  1779. 

About  this  time  he  was  promoted  from  the  parish 
school  to  a  place  in  the  high  school,  where  he  remained 
as  a  pupil  for  three  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time, 
Professor  Windeberg,  the  director  of  that  institution, 
pronounced  him  fully  qualified  for  admission  into  the 
university,  which  he  entered  in  1782.  In  his  fragment- 
ary journal  as  quoted  by  Bernheim,  p.  312,  he  speaks 
of  "  having  devoted  himself  three  years  to  theological 
sciences,"  which  shows  that  he  had  previously  deter- 
mined to  serve  God  in  the  ministry. 

Many  of  the  most  promising  young  men  of  those  days, 
and  also  of  the  present,  after  having  finished  their  uni- 
versity course,  and  having  no  other  position  as  preachers 
or  teachers,  eagerly  accept  places  as  private  tutors  in  re- 
spectable and  wealthy  families,  until  they  are  advanced 
to  more  lucrative  positions.  Indeed,  many  of  these  poor 
young  men  continue  to  serve  in  that  capacity  for  years 
because  they  find  no  other  means  of  support.  Hence, 
not  a  few  of  them  cease  to  be  young  men  before  they  are 
appointed  as  pastors  or  professors,  or  secure  other  em- 
ployment. 

In  1785,  young  Stork  was  recommended  by  Rev. 


10       THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


Velthusen  to  the  tutorship  of  a  young  nobleman,  Yon 
Hadenberg,  whom  he  taught  for  a  year  until  his  removal 
from  Helmstsedt,  "whereupon,"  says  the  journal,  li  I  be- 
came the  teacher  of  Mr.  Friese's  children,  a  merchant 
near  Bremen."    Here  he  remained  two  years. 

We  know  nothing  whatever  of  his  life  during  his  schol- 
astic and  university  career,  and  must  be  content  with  the 
bare  outline  presented  above. 

A  number  of  pious  young  ministers  of  the  Spener- 
Francke  school  of  Lutheranism  had  come  over  to  this 
country  as  missionaries  as  early  as  1733.  The  mission- 
ary spirit  is  the  natural  outgrowth  of  the  revival  of  true 
religion. 

In  that  day,  the  personal  sacrifice  of  a  voyage  to 
America  and  of  mission  labors  among  the  scattered  Ger- 
mans here,  and  the  discomforts  and  perils  of  the  enter- 
prise, were  far  greater  than  a  similar  expedition  to  India 
or  to  the  Sandwich  Islands  at  the  present  time.  The 
vigorous  faith,  Christian  heroism,  holy  zeal  and  self- 
denying  efforts  which  characterized  our  earlier  ministers 
from  Germany  are  deserving  of  all  gratitude  and  admi- 
ration. No  one  can  read  the  narrative  of  their  toils,  or 
contemplate  the  character  of  their  piety,  without  instruc- 
tion and  profit.  They  were  indeed  devoted  men,  whose 
precious  memory  will  be  cherished  by  the  pious  through- 
out all  time. 

Young  Stork,  in  his  journal,  as  quoted  by  Bernheim, 
further  says,  "Having  remained  there  (at  Mr.  Friese's) 
two  years,  I  received  the  call  and  order  from  Rev.  Yelt- 
husen  to  go  as  pastor  to  North  Carolina ;  whereupon  I 


CHARLES  AUGUSTUS  GOTTLIEB  STORK.  11 


was  examined  and  ordained  to  the  ministry  and  journeyed 
in  May,  1788,  from  Germany,  and  arrived  in  America 
(Baltimore)  about  the  end  of  June  of  the  same  year." 

A  petition  from  a  number  of  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  in  North  Carolina  had  been  received,  accom- 
panied by  a  communication  from  the  Rev.  Adolphus 
Nussman,  who  had  been  sent  as  a  missionary  to  this 
country  in  1733,  and  who  had,  for  several  years,  been 
laboring  in  great  poverty,  earnestly  imploring  that  addi- 
tional help  might  be  furnished  to  relieve  the  prevailing 
spiritual  destitution.  The  request  was  forwarded  to 
Rev.  Velthusen,  and  his  attention  was  immediately  di- 
rected to  Mr.  Stork  as  a  person  eminently  fitted  to 
engage  in  such  an  enterprise.  The  young  man,  after  due 
reflection,  expressed  a  willingness  to  go,  and  at  once 
made  arrangements  for  his  departure,  at  the  same  time 
receiving  from  his  Sovereign  a  written  assurance  that  if, 
for  any  reason,  he  might  choose  to  return,  he  should  still 
retain  his  claim  to  promotion  in  the  fatherland.  Young 
candidates  for  the  pastoral  office  at  that  day  received 
appointments  to  parishes  only  when  vacancies  were  made 
by  death  or  promotion,  and  then  only,  in  most  cases,  in 
proportion  to  their  time  of  service  as  teachers  or  vicars  ; 
but  they  lost  this  privilege  by  voluntary  expatriation,  and 
hence  our  young  candidate  judiciously  secured  himself 
against  the  forfeiture  of  this  claim. 

As  a  candidate  for  the  sacred  office  he  was  then  ex- 
amined by  order  of  the  Duke,  who  was  of  course  the  civil 
head  of  the  Church  as  well  as  of  the  Duchy.  This  ex- 
amination was  conducted  by  five  professors,  who  it  is  fair 


12       THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 

to  presume  were  somewhat  more  rigid  and  thorough  than 
our  examiners  are  of  the  present  day. 

He  passed  the  ordeal  creditably,  which,  as  Velthusen 
says,  was  conducted  in  the  strictest  manner,  and  was  or- 
dained as  a  minister  to  North  Carolina  by  his  pastor, 
Velthusen,  who  had  all  along  been  his  kind  friend  and 
generous  benefactor.  Thus,  he  was  selected  for  this 
field  as  a  minister  before  he  was  ordained  or  even  ex- 
amined. The  practice  of  the  Church  in  some,  if  not  in 
all  the  Provinces  and  States  of  Germany,  was  not  to  or- 
dain a  man  who  had  not  received  a  call  to  some  specific 
field  of  labor,  and  I  think  this  would  be  found  to  be  the 
Apostolic  practice.  Our  custom  in  this  country  is  some- 
what different.  Most  of  our  Synods  license  candidates 
to  preach  and  perform  all  the  ministerial  functions,  and 
subsequent  ordination  confers  no  additional  power,  only 
entitling  the  candidate  to  a  few  unimportant  additional 
privileges,  and  hence  it  is  an  empty  ceremony.  The 
License  system  was  introduced  into  our  Synods  by  these 
very  fathers,  who  were  trained  under  a  system  entirely 
different  at  home,  but  it  was  adopted  here  as  a  safeguard 
against  the  ordination  of  men  of  doubtful  character  or 
qualification  in  the  early  period  of  the  Church  in  this 
country,  but  I  think  that  danger  need  be  no  longer 
apprehended. 

As  has  been  stated,  he  arrived  in  Baltimore  on  June 
27,  1788,  and  received  from  the  brethren  there  a  most 
cordial  welcome.  This  must  have  been  during  the  pas- 
torship of  Rev.  Gotlieb  Gerock,  in  Baltimore,  but  his 
name  is  not  mentioned  in  Mr.  Stork's  report. 


CHARLES  AUGUSTUS  GOTTLIEB  STORK.  13 


He  remained  in  Baltimore  about  six  weeks,  and  then 
he  passed  on  towards  his  future  field  of  labor.  He 
traveled  to  Charleston  by  sea,  and  there  purchased  a 
horse,  and,  by  an  inland  route,  reached  Pastor  Nuss- 
man's  residence  in  North  Carolina  in  the  month  of  Sep- 
tember. 

Mr.  Stork,  immediately  after  his  arrival,  was  elected 
pastor  of  three  congregations — one  in  Salisbury,  where 
he  took  up  his  abode,  and  the  others  known  by  the  name 
of  the  Organ  Church,  where  he  commenced  his  labors 
on  October  26,  1788,  and  the  Pine  Church.  He  also 
soon  commenced  regular  service  in  what  was  called  the 
Irish  Settlement.  As  the  years  passed  on,  he  established 
other  congregations  in  Rowan,  Lincoln,  and  Cabarrus 
counties.  Here  he  spent  his  days  in  a  constant  routine 
of  most  diligent  and  self-denying  labor.  He  was  repeat- 
edly invited  to  occupy  other  fields,  and  some  of  them 
among  the  most  eligible  within  the  bounds  of  the  denom- 
ination'; but  he  declined  them  all,  in  view  of  the  great 
want  of  ministers  in  the  region  in  which  he  had  planted 
himself.  He  lived  in  Salisbury  seventeen  years,  and 
was  privileged  to  witness  the  most  gratifying  results  from 
his  labors.  During  the  first  two  years  of  his  residence 
in  this  place,  he  was  domesticated  in  the  house  of  Louis 
Beard,  whose  daughter,  Christina,  he  married  on  the  14th 
of  January,  1790.  They  had  eleven  children,  not  one 
of  whom  is  now  living. 

Once  during  his  pastoral  life  he  made  a  visit  to  the 
North,  which  in  those  days  was  a  long  and  wearisome 
journey,  and  attended  the  meeting  of  the  Synod  of  Penn- 
2 


THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


sylvania,  "  to  strengthen  himself,"  as  the  record  says, 
"  to  renewed  exertion  in  the  service  of  his  Divine  Mas- 
ter." 

The  Rev.  Mr.  A.  Nussman,  who  had  been  settled  for 
some  years  in  North  Carolina,  and  who  hospitably  re- 
ceived Mr.  Stork,  thus  writes  to  Rev.  Abbot  Velthusen  on 
November  12,  1T88,  which  was  only  about  six  weeks 
after  Stork's  arrival :  "  Mr.  Stork's  sickness  gave  me 
much  uneasiness  and  sorrow,  for  I  love  him  on  account 
of  his  learning,  piety,  temperament,  and  social  qualities. 
.  .  .  All  persons  who  see  and  hear  him  love  and  honor 
him.  But  God  has  helped  us  ;  Rev.  Stork  is  restored 
again,  and  may  God  preserve  his  health  in  future,  so  that 
whether  I  live  or  die,  my  expectations  concerning  him 
may  be  realized."* 

A  report  was  sent  to  the  Helmstaedt  Mission  Society 
the  following  year  (1789),  from  which  Dr.  Yelthusen 
makes  the  following  extract : 

"Rev.  Stork,  as  well  as  Mr.  Roschen,  is  satisfied  in  the  midst 
of  the  congregations.  *  *  *  He  praises  the  people,  who  treat 
him  with  love  and  respect  and  supply  him  with  the  necessaries 
of  life.  *  *  *  His  congregation  is  building  a  house  for  him, 
and  have  offered  him  a  loan  for  purchasing  a  plantation,  with- 
out which  one  can  not  succeed  there.  He  still  lives  in  Salis- 
bury, where  an  academy  has  been  established  in  which  there 
are  some  students,  who  receive  instruction  in  Hebrew  from  him. 
In  addition  to  that,  he  has  also  established  a  small  German 
school..  *  *  *  He  expects  to  confirm  about  fifty  young  per- 
sons next  harvest  season." 

In  a  report  from  Mr.  Roschen,  who  had  preceded  Mr. 
Stork  in  North  Carolina  a  short  time,  but  who  returned 


*Bernheim,  328.    Ib.  330. 


CHARLES  AUGUSTUS  GOTTLIEB  STORK. 


15 


to  Germany  about  the  year  1800,  there  is  recorded  a 
little  incident  which  deserves  mention  as  being  creditable 
to  the  character  of  the  preaching  in  that  district.  He 
says:  "Rev.  Stork  recently  passed  by  the  court  house 
in  Salisbury  at  the  time  a  man  was  suffering  the  penalty 
of  some  crime  by  standing  in  the  pillory.  A  German 
called  us  to  stop  awhile  and  see  how  the  America-  s  pun- 
ish rogues  and  thieves.  Upon  my  asking  him,  6  The 
criminal  is  surely  not  a  German  ?'  I  received  the  gratify- 
ing reply,  4  Never  has  a  German  stood  in  the  pillory  in 
Salisbury  ;  nor  has  ever  a  German  been  hung  in  this 
place.'"* 

Mr.  Stork  suffered  from  alarming  depression  of  spirits, 
which  accompanied  him  in  a  greater  or  less  degree  of 
severity  all  his  life.  Mr.  Roschen  in  this  same  letter  re- 
marks :  "  At  first  Stork  in  his  hypochondria  looked 
upon  all  things  in  a  false  light ;  besides,  his  arrival  in 
America  was  unpropitious  (that  is,  he  was  confined  to 
bed  soon  after  his  arrival  in  North  Carolina).  Now  he 
speaks  differently.  We  all  preach  in  black  clothes  and 
neck-cloth,  but  mostly  without  a  gown,  and  often  in  our 
overcoats  during  bad  weather  in  winter." 

There  is  a  singular  proceeding  reported  in  Dr.  Bern- 
heim's  book,  p.  338,  in  which  Mr.  Stork  and  four  other 
German  Lutheran  pastors  participated,  and  that  was  the 
ordination  of  a  man  to  the  Protestant  Episcopal  ministry. 
The  ordination  certificate  is  still  extant,  signed  by  five 
Lutheran  ministers,  in  which  it  is  expressly  stated  that 
"R.  J.  Miller  is  hereby  declared  to  be  ordained  to  '  ad- 


*  Bemheim,  332. 


16 


THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


minister  ye  sacraments  and  to  have  ye  care  of  souls,  he 
always  being  obliged  to  obey  ye  rules,  ordinances  and 
customs  of  ye  Christian  Society,  called  ye  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  in  America  !'  " 

These  men  gave  their  reasons  on  the  reverse  side  of 
this  certificate  why  they  had  ordained  a  man  who  was  a 
member  of  the  Episcopal  church  as  a  minister  of  that 
denomination.  These  reasons  should  be  made  known 
for  a  more  unecclesiastical  and  un-Lutheran  transaction  is 
not  to  be  encountered. 

In  a  letter  to  Dr.  Yelthusen,  dated  Salisbury,  Feb- 
ruary 25,  1803,  Mr.  Stork  describes  his  condition: 

"It  is  now  nearly  three  years  that  I  live  in  very  sad  circum- 
stances ;  not  only  have  I  suffered  during  this  time  from  various 
severe  attacks  of  sickness,  which  brought  me  near  to  death,  but 
likewise  from  an  apparently  incurable  disease  of  the  eyes,  which 
seems  to  baffle  all  medical  skill,  and  makes  it  impossible  for  me 
either  to  read  or  write.  I  am,  however,  quite  restored  from  my 
sickness  of  last  fall,  a  disease  similar  to  yellow  fever,  and  which 
rages  in  this  vicinity  with  great  mortality  ;  I  now  feel  tolerably 
strong  and  my  eyes  are  somewhat  better  ;  nevertheless  according 
to  the  physician  I  need  not  expect  any  permanent  restoration  of 
my  health  in  this  climate  I  still  serve  my  old  con- 
gregations, and  I  continue  to  preach  the  doctrines  of  Jesus 
Christ,  the  crucified,  in  simplicity,  and  have  happily  experi 
enced  the  power  of  ^race  upon  myself  and  others.  The  preva- 
lence of  infidelity,  the  contempt  of  the  best  of  all  religions,  its 
usages  and  servants,  the  increase  of  irreligion  and  crime,  as 
remarked,  have  occasioned  me  many  sad  hours.  Nevertheless 
I  have  found  consolation  and  courage  in  the  thought 

'  So  long  as  Christ  protects  His  church, 
May  hell  its  rage  continue, 

and  I  hold  fast  to  my  faith,  convinced  that  truth  and  religion 
will  at  last  mightily  raise  up  their  head  and  prevail." 


CHARLES  AUGUSTUS  GOTTLIEB  STORK. 


17 


On  the  subject  of  the  extraordinary  manifestations  of 
1800  and  1801,  called  revivals  by.  many,  and  which  cre- 
ated such  a  deep  interest  in  the  churches  of  the  South 
and  West  in  those  days,  Mr.  Stork  thus  expresses  him- 
self in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Velthusen,  February  25,  1803: 

"By  the  side  of  this  pestilence  (infidelity)  there  prevails  now, 
for  over  a  year,  a  something,  I  know  not  what  to  name  it,  and  I 
should  not  like  to  say  fanaticism.  Christians  of  every  denomi- 
nation assemble  themselves  in  the  forest,  number  four,  six,  and 
sometimes  ten  thousand  persons ;  they  erect  tents,  sing  and 
pray  and  preach  day  and  night,  for  five  or  six  or  eight  days.  I 
have  been  an  eye-witness  to  scenes,  in  such  large  assemblies, 
which  I  cannot  explain.  I  beheld  young  and  old,  feeble  and 
strong,  white  and  black,  in  a  word,  people  of  every  age,  posi- 
tion and  circumstances,  as  though  they  were  struck  by  lightning, 
speechless  and  motionless,  and  when  they  had  somewhat  recov- 
ered, they  could  be  heard  shrieking  bitterly  and  supplicating 
God  for  mercy  and  grace. 

"After  they  had  thus  spent  three  and  many  of  them  even 
more  hours,  they  rose  up,  praised  God,  and  commenced  to  pray 
in  such  a  manner  as  they  never  were  wont  to  do,  exhorting  sin- 
ners to  come  to  Jesus,  etc.,  etc.  Many  of  those  who  were  thus 
exercised  were  ungodly  persons  before,  and  we  can  now  dis- 
cover a  remarkable  change  in  them.  Even  deists  have  been 
brought  to  confess  Christ  in  this  way.  Thus  the  affair  continues 
to  this  hour. 

"Opinions  are  various  in  regard  to  it ;  many,  even  ministers, 
denominate  it  the  work  of  the  devil  ;  others  again  would  explain 
it  in  a  natural  way,  or  in  accordance  with  some  physical  law  ; 
whilst  others  look  upon  it  as  the  work  of  God.  Please,  give  me 
your  opinion  and  explanation.  The  thing  has  occasioned  me  no 
little  uneasiness.  In  our  German  congregations  nothing  of  this 
kind  has  been  manifested  The  enclosed  published  ac- 
counts will  be  interesting  to  you  ;  the  facts  are  similar  to  those 
which  I  myself  have  seen.  The  authors  of  these  accounts  are 
generally  respectable  men  and  worthy  of  belief." 


18 


THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


The  Synod  of  North  Carolina  was  formed  and  held  its 
first  session  in  Salisbury  on  May  2,  1803  ;  and  Mr. 
Stork  was  elected  first  President,  and  was  annually  re- 
elected whenever  he  could  be  present. 

During  the  latter  period  of  his  life  he  removed  to  a 
farm  ten  miles  south  of  Salisbury,  where  he  resided  the 
remnant  of  his  days.  The  last  six  years  of  his  life,  how- 
ever, physical  infirmities  prevented  him  from  discharging 
his  ministerial  duties  publicly,  but  he  suffered  in  calm 
submission  to  the  will  of  God,  and  by  his  perfect  resig- 
nation and  patience  exhibited  the  sanctifying  power  of 
divine  grace. 

For  nearly  thirty-seven  years  he  served  the  church 
faithfully,  and  his  memory  will  be  blessed.  He  will  be 
honored  as  one  of  the  fathers  of  the  Lutheran  Church  in 
North  Carolina,  and  the  day  of  his  departure,  the  27th 
of  March,  1831,  was  a  day  of  sadness  and  mourning  to 
all  the  community  in  which  he  lived.  His  illness  contin- 
ued for  nine  weeks,  and  he  frequently  gave  to  his  family 
and  visiting  friends  the  assurance  of  his  hope  of  eternal 
life. 

The  Rev.  Paul  Henkel,  for  many  years  contemporary 
with  Mr.  Stork,  in  writing  of  the  churches  in  North 
Carolina,  says,  "  In  the  vicinity  of  Salisbury,  Rowan 
county,  there  are  three  strong  Lutheran  congregations, 
which  have  been  served  by  Rev.  Charles  Stork  for  nearly 
twenty  years ;  but  under  many  disadvantages,  on  account 
of  the  frequent  and  severe  attacks  of  fever,  which  pros- 
trated his  energies,  .  .  .  and  which  apparently  had  sev- 
eral times  brought  him  near  to  the  grave.    His  numer- 


CHARLES  AUGUSTUS  GOTTLIEB  STORK. 


ous  official  duties  lay  often  heavy  upon  him  on  account 
of  his  ill  health,  especially  the  administration  of  the 
Lord's  Supper  to  250  communicants  at  one  time,  so  that 
his  feeble  powers  of  body  were  exhausted  after  having 
served  all  these  people."* 

The  following  inscription  is  engraved  upon  the  tablet 
in  the  cemetery  of  Organ  church,  which  marks  the  spot 
where  this  useful  servant  of  the  Lord  was  laid  to  rest : 
"  Sacred  to  the  memory  of  the  Rev.  Charles  A.  G.  S torch, 
Pastor  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church;  who  was 
born  on  the  16th  of  June,  A.  D.  1764,  and  departed  this 
life  on  the  27th  day  of  March,  1831.  Aged  66  years, 
9  months,  and  11  days." 

A  local  newspaper,  in  noticing  his  death,  says  :  "The 
deep  and  unrestrained  emotions  of  the  assembly  of  his 
spiritual  children  at  the  grave  of  their  departed  friend 
evinced  the  magnitude  of  their  loss  and  the  extent  of  his 
worth." 

He  was  a  man  of  learning  as  well  as  of  piety,  as  most  of 
our  earlier  ministers  were  who  received  their  education  in 
Germany.  He  had  the  reputation  of  being  a  superior 
linguist,  and  besides  being  familiar  with  Hebrew,  Greek 
and  Latin,  as  all  University-bred  men  were  presumed  to 
be,  it  is  said  that  he  spoke  five  or  six  languages. 

It  is  also  said  that  his  library  was  valuable,  embracing 
quite  a  number  of  celebrated  German  authors,  whose  the- 
ological works  were  usually  written  in  Latin.  The  re- 
port was  that  he  had  bequeathed  many  of  them  to  our 
Theological  Seminary  at  Gettysburg,  of  which  he  was 


*Bernheim,  367. 


20       THE  STORK  FAMILY  LN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 

elected  one  of  the  first  directors,  and  in  the  prosperity  of 
which  he  had  always  showed  the  deepest  interest.  The 
most  of  his  books,  however,  are  in  the  possession  of  the 
College  at  Mt.  Pleasant,  North  Carolina. 

Among  the  many  interesting  incidents  of  his  pastoral 
life,  the  following  deserves  mention  :  "  During  a  com- 
munion season  in  the  spring  of  1821,  when  a  large  class 
of  catechumens,  numbering  77  persons,  were  confirmed, 
their  aged  pastor  being  present,  but  too  feeble  to  stand 
during  the  ceremony,  called  all  his  catechumens  to  him, 
and  gave  them  and  the  other  members  and  friends  of  the 
church  his  last  farewell.  So  affecting  was  the  scene  that 
the  whole  of  that  vast  assembly  was  moved  to  tears,  and 
long  has  been  remembered  the  serious  lesson  which  their 
aged  pastor  addressed  to  them  at  the  time,  whilst  he  held 
out  his  hand  to  each  and  gave  them  his  parting  blessing. 
He  had  introduced  the  Eev.  D.  Scherer  as  his  sucessor. 
and  who  on  this  occasion  administered  the  Sacrament."* 

No  one  ever  questioned  the  genuineness  of  his  piety 
or  the  sincerity  of  his  actions.  Stern  in  his  integrity, 
exemplary  in  his  deportment,  he  awakened  respect.  The 
world  acknowledged  him  to  be  an  honest  man,  and  paid 
to  him  as  such  its  tribute  of  regard.  He  was  a  pious, 
humble  Christian  ;  cheerful,  yet  devout ;  zealous,  without 
bigotry  or  fanaticism ;  sprightly,  without  levity;  grave, 
without  moroseness ;  a  model  of  meekness  and  of  every 
Christian  virtue.  No  blemish  ever  sullied  his  conduct, 
no  stain  can  tarnish  the  fair  name  he  has  left  behind  him.f 

*Bernheim,  445. 

fProf.  Stoever,  Ev.  Rev.,  vol.  viii.,  403. 


CHARLES  AUGUSTUS  GOTTLIEB  STORK. 


21 


LETTERS, 

From  some  Gentlemen,  relating- to  Mr.  Stork. — The  first  two  are  taken  from 
Sprague's  "American  Lutheran  Pulpit." 

LETTER  FROM  REV.  THEOP.  STORK  D.  D.  TO  DR.  SPRAGUE. 

Baltimore  Jan.  20,  1862. 
Bear  Brother  :  I  regret  exceedingly  that  it  is  not  in  my  power 
to  furnish  you  with  such  personal  recollections  of  my  father,  as 
would  be  worthy  of  him,  or  of  the  work  in  which  you  propose 
to  incorporate  them.  I  was  but  a  boy  when  he  died.  Shortly 
after  his  death,  I  came  North  and  have  not  since  been  associated 
with  any  of  the  family.  Before  I  was  old  enough  to  take  special 
interest  in  my  father's  library,  it  was  distributed  partly  at  least, 
among  poor  ministers  at  the  South.  Some  ten  years  ago,  I  went 
South  with  a  view  of  finding  some  of  the  books  and  manuscripts 
which  had  belonged  to  him,  but  was  unable  to  secure  a  single 
one,  not  even  an  autograph.  I  am  ashamed  to  make  this  ac- 
knowledgment, but  it  is  a  fact,  and  one  over  which  I  have  no 
control.  My  exile  from  home  in  my  boyhood,  and  the  early 
departure  of  my  brothers  and  sisters,  have  left  me  without  the 
simplest  relic  of  my  father.  So  far  as  I  can  now  recall  him,  he 
was  tall,  erect,  of  robust  constitution,  and  had  a  real  German 
face,  with  a  mild,  benevolent  expression.  He  was  regarded  as 
one  of  the  most  learned  and  eloquent  of  the  early  German  mis- 
sionaries. He  was  said  to  be  a  remarkable  linguist.  I  remember 
that  Dr.  Wilson,  a  Presbyterian  clergyman  from  Mecklenburg 
county,  used  often  to  visit  him,  and  they  sometimes,  to  vary  the 
scene  a  little,  conversed  in  Greek.  My  father  could  speak  some 
five  or  six  languages  fluently.  He  was  eminently  devoted  to  the 
great  work  of  the  ministry.  But  devoted  as  his  whole  life  had 
been  to  Christ,  he  lamented,  in  his  old  age,  that  he  had  done  so 
little  for  the  souls  purchased  with  a  Saviour's  blood. 

I  am  yours  truly  in  the  Lord, 

T.  Stork. 

2* 


22       THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


FROM  THE  REV.  D.  P.  ROSENMILLER  TO  DR.  SPRAGUE. 

Lancaster,  Pa.,  May  21,  1862. 

My  Dear  Sir :  My  acquaintance  with  the  Rev.  Charles  A.  G. 
Stork,  of  Cabarrus  county.  N.  C,  commenced  in  the  spring  of 
1829,  and  continued  until  his  decease,  in  the  early  part  of  1831. 
During  that  time  he  was  in  a  feeble  condition,  and  unable  to 
leave  home,  or  to  engage  in  anything  that  required  either  bodily 
or  mental  effort.  His  hospitable  home  was  the  favorite  resort  of 
many  persons  who  honored  and  loved  him  as  one  of  the  excel- 
lent of  the  earth.  He  was  living  in  the  same  community  in 
which  he  had  spent  the  whole  of  his  active  life  ;  and  it  was  not 
strange  that  those  who  had  so  long  been  witnesses  of  his  pure 
and  elevated  example,  and  sharers  in  the  good  which  he  had  ac- 
complished, should  have  delighted  to  bear  their  grateful  testi- 
mony to  his  character  and  influence. 

Mr.  Stork  had  received  an  excellent  education  in  Germany, 
and  was  especially  a  proficient  in  the  learned  languages  ;  and  his 
well  selected  library  was  a  proof  that  he  kept  pace  with  the 
theological  literature  of  his  time.  In  person  he  was  tall  and 
well  proportioned,  and  his  countenance  was  expressive  of  great 
meekness  and  benevolence.  In  his  conversation  he  showed  him- 
self discreet  and  thoughtful,  and  evinced  a  delicate  regard  for 
uie  feelings  of  others.  In  social  life  he  was  highly  interesting 
and  attractive,  but  always  kept  at  a  great  remove  from  every 
thing  like  unbecoming  levity. 

Several  years  previous  to  the  commencement  of  my  acquain- 
tance with  this  excellent  man,  he  had  retired  from  all  public 
duties,  and  the  churches  which  he  had  served  during  his  active 
ministry  were  under  the  charge  of  another  pastor.  The  largest 
of  his  congregations  were  at  Organ  and  St.  John's  churches.  In 
my  intercourse  with  his  former  parishioners,  I  often  heard  him 
spoken  of  as  a  very  eloquent  preacher,  and  a  kind-hearted  and 
attentive  pastor.  I  frequently  heard  them  cite  some  of  his 
favorite  sentiments,  among  which  I  remember  the  following — 
"The  Word  of  God  is  a  beautiful  flower  ;  but  whilst  the  bee  ex- 
tracts honey  from  it,  the  spider  draws  from  the  same  the  most 
active  poison." 


CHARLES  AUGUSTUS  GOTTLIEB  STORK. 


2o 


Mr.  Stork  informed  me  that  the  churches  he  served  were  not 
the  ones  allotted  to  him  when  he' was  sent  from  Germany.  He 
was  designed  for  Lincoln  county.  But,  after  having  endured  a 
stormy  voyage,*  he  arrived  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  State — 
perhaps  Guilford  county — and  thence  communicated  to  his  pro- 
spective ehurches  the  fact  of  his  arrival,  and  asked  them  to 
send  for  him.  The  answer  which  he  received  was  characterized 
by  a  freezing  indifference.  Perhaps  it  should  have  been  excused, 
emanating,  as  it  did,  from  a  people  who  stood  sadly  in  need  of  a 
missionary's  labors  ;  but  the  feelings  of  the  newly-arrived  pastor 
were  deeply  wounded  by  it,  and  he  became  anxious  for  a  field  in 
which  he  might  labor  with  better  prospects  of  sympathy  and  of 
success.    Cabanus  county  was  accordingly  assigned  to  him. 

One  peculiarity  of  Mr.  Stork  was  his  little  knowledge  of,  and 
great  indifference  to,  mere  worldly  matters.  These  he  turned 
over  to  his  faithful  wife,  in  whose  sagacity  and  prudence  he  had 
unbounded  confidence.  He  had  little  or  nothing  of  the  spirit  of 
worldly  ambition.  He  never  aspired  to  be  a  pastor  in  a  city, 
though  his  learning  and  eloquence  would  have  qualified  him  for 
exercising  his  ministry  in  the  most  cultivated  and  refined  com- 
munities. He  was  contented  to  remain  a  plain  country  parson, 
mingling  in  peace  and  love  with  a  plain  and  truly  good  people, 
whom  he  conducted,  by  word  and  example,  in  the  path  which 
the  Good  Shepherd  had  pointed  out. 

During  one  of  my  visits  at  Mr.  Stork's  house,  a  well-dressed 
gentleman  called  upon  him,  and  stated  that  he  was  a  refugee 
from  Portugal,  and  had  been  an  adherent  of  Don  Pedro,  who 
claimed  his  right  to  the  Portuguese  throne.  But  the  party  of 
Don  Miguel  had  been  too  powerful  for  him,  and  the  adherents 
of  Don  Pedro  were  compelled  to  leave  the  country,  suffering 
the  confiscation  of  their  property.  Mr.  Stork  was  mu,ch  inter- 
ested in  the  tale  of  the  stranger,  and  besides  asking  him  to  dine, 
made  a  peeuniary  contribution  to  his  relief,  to  which  I  gladly 
added  my  mite.  He  asked  the  name  of  the  place  in  which  the 
stranger  resided  ;  and  when  told  that  it  was  Montcbello  (Beau- 

*By  sea  from  Baltimore  to  Charleston,  where  he  bought  a  horse  and 
rocle  to  North  Carolina  —[J.  G.  M.] 


24     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 

tiful  Mountain),  he  dwelt  much  on  the  beauty  of  the  name,  and 
also  upon  the  cruelties  practiced  by  the  usurper,  Don  Miguel. 
When  I  was  about  to  leave,  he  requested  me  to  remind  the  Rev. 

J.  R  ,  of  Salisbury,  that  he  would  be  pleased  to  see  him. 

''Tell  him,"  said  he,  "that  I  would  like  to  receive  some  of  the 
crumbs." 

With  great  regard,  very  truly  yours, 

D.  P.  ROSENMILLER. 

FROM  REV.   S.  ROTHROCK. 

Gold  Hill,  Rowan  Co,  N  C,  Feb.  2,  1885. 

Dear  Dr.  Morris:  I  regret  that  I  cannot  give  you  many  facts 
in  relation  to  Rev.  C.  A.  G.  Stork.  He  had  died  before  I  came 
to  this  county,  consequently  I  had  no  personal  acquaintance 
with  him.  There  are  but  few  persons  living  now  that  have  much 
recollection  of  him.  *  *  *  *  The  congregation  at  Organ  church 
numbered  seventy-eight  members,  and  promised  him  a  yearly 
salary  of  forty  pounds,  North  Carolina  currency.  He  served 
Organ  church  as  pastor  thirty-five  years. 

In  his  style  of  preaching  he  appears  to  have  been  plain,  affec- 
tionate and  earnest.  His  sermons  were  well  arranged,  instruc- 
tive and  edifying.  In  his  dress  he  was  neat  and  precise.  In  his 
general  demeanor  he  was  dignified  and  affable,  easy  of  approach 
by  the  humblest  member  of  his  flock.  From  the  nature  of  his 
sermons  he  must  have  been  studious  in  their  preparation.  I  am 
not  advised  as  to  the  extent  of  his  library.  In  his  habits  of  life 
he  was  very  correct  and  exemplary.  *  *  *  *  He  was  highly  es- 
teemed by  his  fellow-ministers,  and  I  suppose  him  to  have  been 
sound  in  his  theological  faith.  *  *  *  *  Mr.  S.  is  said  to  have 
been  a  good  musician,  vocal  and  instrumental. 

Yours  truly,  S.  Rothrock. 

FROM  REV.  D.  J.  HAUER,  D.  D. 

Hanover,  Pa.,  March  4th,  1885. 
Rev*  Dr.  Morris — Dear  Brother  :  You  have  requested  me  to 
give  you  my  recollections  of  the  Rev.  Charles  Augustus  Gott- 
lieb Stork,  of  North  Carolina.    I  regret  that  those  recollections 


CHARLES  AUGUSTUS  GOTTTLIEB  STORK, 


2n 


are  not  as  perfect  as  I  could  desire,  from  the  fact  that  half  a  cen- 
tury has  elapsed  since  his  death,  and  it  was  my  privilege  to  know 
him  only  iu  his  declining  years,  when  his  physical  force  was 
abated,  and  his  vigor  impaired  by  disease  and  the  hand  of  time. 

Our  first  meeting  took  place  in  the  summer  of  1827,  at  his 
home  in  Cabarrus  county,  nine  miles  south  of  Salisbury.  It 
was  upon  my  first  visit  to  that  section  of  the  State,  and  as  he 
was  the  oldest  minister  connected  with  the  Lutheran  Synod  of 
North  Carolina,  and  revered  and  beloved  by  his  brethren  and 
the  community  at  large,  I  desired  the  privilege  of  his  acquain- 
tance, and  as  a  young  minister  to  pay  him  my  respects. 

He  received  me  kindly,  giving  me  a  cordial  welcome  into  the 
bosom  of  his  interesting  and  agreeable  family,  which  consisted 
of  his  wife  and  daughter,  an  amiable  young  lady,  and  his 
youngest  son,  Theophilus,  whom  he  familarly  called  Gottlieb, 
and  who  was  at  that  time  studying  the  classics  under  his 
father's  tuition. 

His  massive  head  was  an  index  of  a  vigorous  brain,  his  fea- 
tures were  somewhat  irregular,  but  his  mouth  expressed  the 
firmness  and  decision  which  always  characterized  him.  His 
character  as  a  gentleman  and  Christian  minister  was  irreproach- 
able, and  he  enjoyed  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  Christians  of 
all  denominations.  Affable  in  his  manners,  agreeable  in  his  con- 
versation, and  easily  approached,  he  never  failed  to  gather  about 
him  groups  of  admiring  friends. 

Subject  to  fits  of  depression  and  melancholy,  there  were  times 
when  he  would  with  the  Psalmist  exclaim,  "  All  thy  waves  and 
thy  billows  are  gone  over  me."  Yet  he  was  fond  of  social  inter- 
course, and  at  times  was  cheerful  and  even  vivacious.  As  a 
preacher  he  was  plain,  practical  and  forcible,  rendering  his 
teachings  intelligible  to  his  audiences,  whose  salvation  and  en- 
lightenment he  had  at  heart. 

As  a  pastor  he  was  kind  and  affectionate  in  his  manner, 
ready  to  sympathize  with  the  distressed  and  suffering,  and  to 
administer  to  the  relief  of  the  needy.  He  was  studious,  and  pre_ 
pared  his  sermons  with  care,  adapting  them  to  the  condition  of 
the  people  to  whom  he  preached. 


26     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


He  was  earnest  in  his  ministrations,  and  commanded  not  only 
the  attention  but  the  confidence  of  his  hearers.  He  was,  under 
God,  very  successful  in  building  up  his  churches  ;  the  member- 
ship of  the  Organ  church  in  Rowan,  and  St.  John's  in  Cabarrus 
county,  were  the  largest  in  connection  with  the  Synod.  He  was 
indefatigable  in  his  efforts  to  win  souls  to  Christ,  as  might  be 
expected  of  one  educated  under  the  Christian  influence  of  the 
Franckean  school  at  Halle,  Germany  ;  and  though  his  pastorate 
was  large,  he  frequently  visited  vacant  congregations  and  sought 
out  the  scattered  Lutherans  in  other  parts  of  the  State — occa- 
sionally visiting  the  Lutheran  settlements  in  the  forks  of  the 
Saluda,  in  South  Carolina,  and  ministering  to  the  spiritual 
wants  of  old  and  young. 

His  library  consisted  of  choice  works,  principally  German  and 
Latin,  and  he  was  well  versed  in  the  doctrine  of  our  holy  Chris- 
tianity— ever  ready  to  teach  and  defend  the  truth  ;  he  was  a 
strong  advocate  of  the  divinity  of  Christ,  and  the  efficacy  and 
necessity  of  His  atonement,  and  the  cardinal  doctrine  of  '"'■Justi- 
fication by  Faith.''''  He  regarded  the  Augsburg  Confession  as  a 
correct  exposition  of  the  fundamental  doctrines  of  the  word  of 
God  ;  and  as  taught  in  a  manner  substantially  correct  in  its 
doctrinal  articles. 

He  was  liberal  towards  other  denominations,  believing  in  the 
communion  of  saints— not  exclusive  in  his  views,  holding  that 
in  every  nation  those  who  "feared  God  and  wrought  righteous- 
ness are  accepted  of  Him  ;  "  hence  he  enjoyed  the  friendship  and 
esteem  of  Christians  in  general. 

He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Snyod  of  North  Carolina, 
and  it  could  be  said  that  he  was  head  and  front  of  the  Lutherau 
church  in  the  South. 

When  the  Episcopalians  of  North  Carolina  resolved  to  organ- 
ize a  convention  under  the  direction  of  Bishop  Moore  of  Vir- 
giuia,  the  good  bishop  was  anxious  to  secure  the  aid  and  co- 
operation of  Father  Stork,  and  he  was  pressingly  invited  to 
meet  in  the  proposed  convention  and  unite  with  them.  This  he 
respectfully  declined  to  do,  and  in  his  reply  gave  them  to  under- 
stand that  he  was  an  Evangelical  Lutheran,  and  not  an  Episco- 


CHARLES  AUGUSTUS  GOTTLIEB  STORK. 


27 


palian  :  and  that  the  doctrines  of  the  Lutheran  Church  in  minor 
points  as  well  as  in  polity  differed  from  the  Episcopal. 

He  would  not  aid  in  the  organization  of  an  ecclesiastical  body 
to  which  he  did  not  wish  to  belong,  yet  as  an  evidence  of  his 
catholic  spirit,  he  assured  them  that  his  church  would  be  open 
to  their  ministry  in  their  efforts  to  gather  their  dispersed  mem- 
bers residing  in  the  western  part  of  the  State,  and  to  organize 
them  into  congregations.  Such  Christian  liberality  was  worthy 
of  the  man. 

He  was  the  decided  friend  of  an  active  spirituality,  and  re- 
joiced to  see  and  hear  of  the  conversion  of  souls.  On  one  occa- 
sion of  visiting  him,  I  found  him  suffering  from  mental  depres- 
sion, and  reclining  upon  his  bed.  As  was  his  custom,  he  asked 
for  news  from  the  churches,  and  when  told  of  a  gracious  work 
of  grace  in  the  congregation  of  Rev.  Jacob  Miller,  of  Stokes 
county,  he  arose  promptly,  and  calling  to  his  son  Gottlieb  to 
biing  him  his  slippers,  he  sat  up  and  expressed  feelings  of  de- 
light, rejoicing  like  the  angels  over  the  repentance  of  sinners, 
and  commending  the  fidelity  and  zeal  of  brother  Miller. 

He  was  a  father  in  Israel,  and  the  friend  and  prudent  coun- 
selor of  young  ministers,  in  whose  welfare  and  success  he  man- 
ifested a  deep  interest,  pointing  out  the  dangers  to  which  they 
were  exposed,  and  giving  them  wholesome  advice,  that  they 
might  escape  from  temptation  and  maintain  blameless  reputa- 
tions. 

He  was  a  decided  friend  of  temperance,  and'  as  it  was  custom- 
ary in  that  early  day  to  offer  the  social  glass  even  to  ministerial 
guests,  he  advised  young  clergymen  to  set  their  faces  against  the 
custom,  and  kindly  refuse  this  so-called  expression  of  hospitality, 
adding,  "  that  total  abstinence  is  the  only  safeguard  against  in- 
temperance." 

Pie  frequently  related  incidents  connected  with  his  ministry, 
some  of  which  were  quite  ludicrous.  On  one  occasion,  when 
making  a  missionary  tour  among  destitute  Lutherans  in  South 
Carolina,  he  was  obliged  to  improvise  a  pulpit.  Finding  a  hogs- 
head, he  mounted  thereon.  While  addressing  his  audience,  he 
felt  his  foundation  yielding,  and  in  a  moment  his  feet  were 


28       THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


upon  the  ground,  and  lie  was  encased  in  the  hogshead.  Kind 
hands  soon  relieved  him  from  this  unpleasant  predicament, 
amid  the  suppressed  laughter  of  the  assembly. 

He  continued  to  labor  with  earnestness  and  fidelity  until  the 
organization  of  the  Tennessee  Conference,  whose  members,  by 
their  opposition  to  the  recently-organized  General  Synod,  pro- 
duced discord  and  schism  .  in  many  of  the  congregations  of 
North  Carolina,  including  part  of  his  charge,  which  depressed 
him  very  much  ;  and  as  the  infirmities  of  age  were  increasing, 
he  was  induced  to  resign  his  charge,  contrary  to  the  wishes  of 
his  people,  whom  he  had  faithfully  served  for  many  years. 

As  regards  the  time  of  his  death  and  attending  circumstances, 
I  can  say  nothing,  as  it  occurred  after  my  removal  from  the 
State,  but  "his  was  the  path  of  the  just,  shining  more  and  more 
unto  the  perfect  day,''  and  doubtless,  "his  end  was  peace." 

"He  needs  no  verse  his  virtues  to  record; 
He  lived,  he  died,  a  servant  of  the  Lord." 

Truly  yours,  Daniel  J.  Hauer. 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


CHAPTER  I. 

BIRTH  AND  PARENTAGE — HOME  TRAINING — COLLEGE  AND  SEM- 
INARY EDUCATION  —  SOME  OP  HIS  CLASSMATES  —  MANNERS 
AND  DISPOSITION— DR.  DIEHL'S  MEMOIR — PREACHING  IN  HIS 
STUDENT  YEARS. 

IN  the  preceding  biography  I  have  traced  the  emi- 
nently useful  career,  as  far  as  the  limited  sources  of 
information  would  allow,  of  Rev.  Carl  Augustus  Gott- 
lieb Storch  (which  was  the  original  German  family 
name),  and  now  I  shall  endeavor  to  present  a  portrait  of 
his  distinguished  son,  Theophilus,  who  was  baptized 
Gottlieb,  an  expressive  old  German  Christian  name,  but 
which  was  changed  by  himself  into  the  beautiful  and 
more  euphonious  Greek  synonym,  Theophilus.  He  was 
born  near  Salisbury,  Rowan  County,  North  Carolina,  in 
August,  1814.*  His  mother's  name  was  Christiana 
Beard,  the  daughter  of  the  man  with  whom  the  father  of 
Theophilus  lived  when  he  first  came  to  this  country  in 
1788. 

We  have  very  little  authentic  information  concerning 
his  early  years.  The  boy  grew  up  on  the  paternal  farm, 
and  had  such  educational  advantages  as  the  neighborhood 


*  The  precise  date  I  could  not  learn. 
(29) 


30       THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


afforded.  He  must  have  made  some  progress,  however, 
for  he  taught  a  school  before  leaving  home  for  Gettys- 
burg, and  he  could  not  have  been  over  sixteen  years  of 
age  when  he  wielded  the  country  school-master's  birch 
over  the  children  of  his  father's  parish.  It  is  said  that 
in  early  life  he  showed  a  fondness  for  reading,  but  it  is 
presumed  that  he  had  little  opportunity  of  gratifying  his 
taste,  for  the  lack  of  the  kind  of  books  which  pleased  him. 
His  father's  library  consisted  of  nothing  but  theological 
and  classical  works  in  German  or  Latin,  neither  of  which 
the  studious  boy  could  at  that  time  read;  and  there  were 
very  few  books  of  English  literature  to  be  found  in  that 
section  of  North  Carolina  fifty-five  years  ago,  when 
young  Stork  was  a  plain  country  lad  at  home.  His  love 
for  books  which  he  delighted  in  could  only  be  indulged 
in  later  years,  when  he  came  into  contact  with  libraries 
and  into  the  society  of  men  of  like  tastes  and  pursuits  to 
his  own. 

His  youthful  morals  were  of  the  strictest  character,  for 
his  father's  domestic  discipline  was  of  the  good  old  Ger- 
man Lutheran  type ;  but  Theophilus  was  a  boy  of  a  nat- 
urally gentle  disposition,  who  easily  yielded  to  paternal 
control.  He  thus  grew  up  to  be  a  blameless  man,  whose 
fair  name  was  never  sullied  by  the  breath  of  suspicion. 

Theophilus  entered  what  was  then  called  the  Gym- 
nasium at  Gettysburg,  in  October,  1830.  This  prepara- 
tory school  was  soon  after  elevated  to  the  character  of  a 
college,  of  which  he  became  a  pupil  with  his  classmates. 
He  must  have  remained  at  Gettysburg  six  or  seven  years. 
He  went  there  in  1830,  graduated  from  college  in  1835, 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


81 


and  studied  in  the  Seminary  two  years,  which  at  that 
time  was  the  prescribed  time,  but  at  present  is  extended 
to  three  years.* 

Rev.  Dr.  Diehl,  in  a  sketch  of  the  life  of  Dr.  Stork  in 
the  Quarterly  Review,  1875,  and  who  was  contemporary 
with  him  in  college,  thus  speaks  of  him :  "It  was  in  the 
winter  of  1833:  Mr.  S.  was  then  in  his  nineteenth  year. 
He  was  tall,  slender  and  graceful;  always  neatly  dressed, 
genial  in  his  association  with  the  students.  In  boisterous 
sports  he  took  no  part.  He  was  quite  a  favorite  in  soci- 
ety .  .  .  among  the  students  he  was  equally  popular. 
He  was  dearly  loved  by  his  more  intimate  associates,  and 
seemed  to  have  no  enemies.  Even  the  rivalries  incident 
to  college  life  did  not  apparently  awaken  any  malicious 
feeling  towards  him  .  .  .  He  was  considered  a  good 
scholar,  holding  a  respectable  standing  in  a  class  of  great 
talent.  He  excelled  in  belles  lettres ;  also  in  mental 
and  moral  science.  He  ranked  higher  in  language  than 
in  mathematics." 

At  this  time  the  College  faculty  was  composed  of  Rev. 
Dr.  C.  P.  Krauth,  Sen.  President;  Rev.  M.  Jacobs, 
L'rofessor  of  Mathematics  and  Natural  Science  ;  Rev.  II. 
L.  Baugher,  Professor  of  Greek ;  Rev.  W.  M.  Reynolds, 

*The  Theological  Seminary  was  established  in  1826.  The 
Classical  School  to  prepare  young  men  for  Theological  study 
was  opened  in  1827,  under  the  tutorship  of  Rev.  D.  Jacobs  ;  in 
1829,  a  scientific  department  under  the  care  of  his  brother,  Rev. 
M.  Jacobs,  was  added,  and  the  united  schools  were  called  the 
Gettysburg  Gymnasium.  Upon  the  lamented  death  of  Prof.  D. 
Jacobs,  the  Rev.  H.  L.  Baugher  was  appointed  Classical  teacher 
in  1831  ;  and  the  college  proper  was  established  in  1832. 


32       THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


Professor  of  the  Latin  Language  and  Literature  ;  Rev. 
J.  H.  Marsden,  Professor  of  Mineralogy  and  Botany. 

Theophilus  Stork  was  graduated  in  1835,  which  was 
the  second  class  that  received  diplomas.  There  were 
only  Sophomore  and  Freshman  classes  formed  the  first 
year  of  the  college.  The  valedictory  was  assigned  to 
him,  which  was  regarded  as  the  first  honor.  He  is  said 
by  those  who  knew  him  in  those  days  to  have  been  a 
beautiful  speaker  and  a  good  writer,  though  somewhat 
too  florid,  which  as  a  collegian's  defect  can  easily  be 
overlooked. 

Two  of  his  classmates  were  Samuel  Sprecher  and  Ezra 
Keller,  both  strong  and  good  men,  and  both  became  Pre- 
sidents of  Wittenberg  College.  Keller  died  young,  but 
after  rendering  unspeakably  great  service  to  the  Church ; 
whilst  Dr.  Sprecher  still  lives,  the  honored  survivor  of  a 
class  of  talented  men,  and  maintaining  a  high  rank  among 
the  theologians  of  our  Church.  Judge  Dale,  of  Illi- 
nois, was  another  member  of  the  class,  who  is  still  living 
and  reflecting  honor  upon  his  alma  mater  by  maintaining 
great  reputation  as  a  jurist  and  an  enterprising  citizen. 
Judge  Dale  attended  the  semi-centennial  celebration  of 
the  college  in  1882,  where  he  met  some  of  the  men  of  his 
college  generation  and  was  received  most  cordially  by  all. 
David  F.  Bittle  was  the  only  other  member  of  the  class 
I  have  room  to  mention.  He  was  an  honored  member 
of  our  ministry  and  a  most  industrious  and  successful 
worker  in  the  Church.  His  founding  of  Roanoke  college 
is  alone  the  proudest  monument  that  could  be  erected 
to  his  memory. 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


33 


Young  Stork  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Phrena- 
kosmian  Society  in  1831,  and  the  President  of  it  in  1832 
and  1834 ;  anniversary  speaker  in  1835,  and  debater  in 
1833  and  1835. 

During  his  college  life  his  Christian  character  was 
richly  developed,  and  the  purity  of  his  life  had  a  whole- 
some influence  upon  his  fellow  students.  He  was  not 
morose  or  even  ascetic  as  a  Christian,  but  loving,  tender 
and  meek. 

He  was  not  remarkable  for  close  attention  to  his  col- 
lege studies,  but  he  read  extensively  in  English  literature, 
and  poetry  especially.  He  had  a  good  memory,  and 
could  easily  commit  numerous  stanzas  and  striking  pass- 
ages. He  was  not  considered  a  ready  off-hand  debater 
in  the  college  society,  but  none  could  excel  him  in  a  writ- 
ten discourse  or  argument. 

Though  he  was  a  graduate  of  both  institutions  at  Get- 
tysburg, and  holding  influential  positions  in  the  church, 
he  never  served  as  a  Trustee  or  Director  in  either  of 
them,  and  seldom  or  perhaps  never  attended  the  public 
exercises  at  the  Commencements  of  the  College  or  exhibi- 
tions of  the  Seminary  classes.  He  did  not  heartily 
patronize  either  of  them  when  it  was  in  his  power  to 
do  so,  and  when  it  would  have  been  of  advantage  to  him. 
I  know  myself  that  he  did  not  admire  one  or  two  of  the 
most  prominent  men  in  the  Faculties,  but  he  would  not 
be  convinced  that  this  did  not  justify  a  withdrawal  of  his 
support  from  those  schools  which  we  were  all  laboring  so 
hard  to  uphold.  He  sent  his  son  Charles  to  the  Prepar- 
atory school,  but  took  him  away  after  a  few  months. 


34 


THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


I  could  nowhere  find  any  record  of  the  time  and  place 
of  his  conversion,  at  which  we  need  not  be  surprised,  for 
he  was  very  reticent  to  strangers  on  the  subject  of  his 
religious  experience,  although  in  his  letters  to  the  mem- 
bers of  his  household,  as  will  be  seen,  he  pours  out  his 
heart's  emotions  fully  and  tenderly.  I  doubt  whether  he 
would  have  been  able  to  specify  any  peculiar  circum- 
stances attending  the  great  change,  but  it  was  one  of 
those  gradual  processes  more  felt  than  seen,  and  the  nat- 
ural outgrowth  of  his  religious  training  at  home.  That 
it  was  thorough,  his  religious  activity  and  godly  life  have 
signally  exhibited. 

IN  THE  SEMINARY. 

In  the  fall  of  1835  he  entered  the  Theological  Semi- 
nary, of  which  at  that  time  Drs.  Schmucker  and  Krauth 
were  the  only  professors,  and  two  years  constituted  the 
period  of  study. 

His  class  consisted  of  thirteen,  only  one  of  whom,  the 
Rev.  Dr.  C.  W.  SchaefFer,  Professor  in  the  Philadelphia 
Seminary,  is  now  (1886)  living.  Among  the  others 
best  known  in  the  church  were  Michael  Eyster,  D.  F. 
Bittle,  and  Ezra  Keller. 

His  papers,  which  have  been  submitted  to  me,  give  no 
information  concerning  his  life  in  that  institution,  and 
with  all  my  efforts  I  have  failed  to  procure  any  facts  of 
an  unusual  or  striking  character.  He  is  represented  as 
being  studious  in  his  habits,  exemplary  in  his  life,  and  ad- 
dicted to  the  same  course  of  literary  reading  which  he 
pursued  in  college.  He  was  regarded  as  a  fair  belles- 
lettres  scholar,  possessing  a  fine  poetical  taste,  and  able 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


35 


to  quote  poetry  on  all  occasions.  His  seminary  exer- 
cises were  always  neat  and  beautiful,  and  whilst  he  was 
not  a  fluent  speaker  nor  happy  in  an  off-hand  protracted 
argument,  in  which  men  of  far  inferior  intellect  may 
have  surpassed  him,  yet  he  was  solid  even  if  ornate,  and 
instructive  even  if  diffusive.  He  secured  the  sincere 
regard  and  confidence  of  his  fellow-students,  and  the  re- 
spect of  his  teachers. 

Dr.  Diehl  in  the  article  previously  quoted  gives  us  a 
few  interesting  facts,  which  betray  the  character  of  our 
friend.  He  says:  "During  the  second  year  in  the 
Seminary,  and  especially  in  vacation  time,  he  occasionally 
preached.  His  method  at  that  time  was  to  write  his 
sermons  with  much  care,  and  then  to  so  familiarize  his  mind 
with  the  discourse  as  to  deliver  it  without  much  use  of 
the  manuscript.  His  delivery  had  all  the  force  and  free- 
dom of  extemporaneous  speaking.  Nor  did  he  confine 
himself  to  the  written  sermon.  Under  the  influence  of 
excitement  he  sometimes  burst  forth  into  impromptu  elo- 
quence of  great  power.  An  incident  occurring  to  his 
eye  would  rouse  him  into  indignation  or  melt  him  into 
sympathy,  that  called  forth  unwonted  power  of  utterance. 
The  people  in  the  towns  in  Franklin,  Washington  and 
Frederick  counties,  in  which  he  was  accustomed  to  spend 
part  of  his  vacation,  long  remembered  some  of  his  im- 
promptu bursts  of  oratory.  One  occurred  in  Jefferson, 
Frederick  county,  Md.,  where  he  was  spending  several 
weeks  with  his  friends.  He  was  preaching  one  Sunday 
morning  in  the  old  Stone  Church,  when  he  observed  a 
thoughtless  young  man  talking  to  his  companions  in  a  dis- 


36       THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


orderly  manner.  It  kindled  young  Stork's  indignation. 
With  flashing  eye  he  turned  to  the  young  man,  and  in 
tones  of  awful  tenderness  thundered  out,  4  Young  man,  I 
fear  the  first  ray  of  light  that  will  flash  on  your  benighted 
soul  will  be  reflected  from  the  flames  of  hell !'  On 
another  occasion,  preaching  in  one  of  the  villages  of 
Washington  county,  he  noticed  an  aged  woimn  weeping 
so  sorrowfully  during  nearly  all  the  sermon,  that  he  sup- 
posed she  must  be  crushed  to  the  ground  by  an  intolerable 
weight.  His  sympathies  were  deeply  moved.  He  broke 
from  the  thread  of  his  discourse  and  addressed  her  with 
so  much  pathos,  and  poured  into  the  wounded  spirit  such 
a  Christian  consolation  and  hope,  that  the  whole  congre- 
gation was  melted  into  tears." 


CHAPTER  II. 


LICENSE  TO  PRE  AC  R — CALL  TO  WINCHESTER — MARRIAGE — SUC- 
CESS   AS  PASTOR — LETTER  FROM  REV.  DR.  GILBERT. 

IN  August,  1837,  he  was  called  as  pastor  to  the  church 
at  Winchester,  Va.,  and  accepted  it  even  before  he 
was  licensed  to  preach.  This  course  was  not  uncommon 
in  those  days,  and  in  order  to  authorize  young  men  to 
enter  upon  ministerial  engagements  under  such  circum- 
stances, the  Presidents  of  some  of  our  Synods  licensed 
them  to  preach  ad  interim,  until  they  should  be  exam- 
ined by  the  Synod  at  its  next  meeting,  and  then  be  regu- 
larly and  permanently  admitted  to  the  ministry.  Ezra 
Keller,  D.  F.  Bittle  and  W.  H.  Smith  were  licensed  at 
the  same  meeting  with  Mr.  Stork  by  the  Synod  of  Mary- 
land. 

Mr.  Stork  succeeded  the  Rev.  N.  Goertner  at  Win- 
chester. Young  Stork's  fiery  eloquence,  suavity  of  tem- 
per and  refinement  of  manners,  secured  the  admiration  of 
his  people  and  the  esteem  of  the  whole  population,  which 
he  maintained  throughout  his  life. 

Not  long  after  his  settlement  he  was  married  on  No- 
vember 16th,  1837,  by  Rev.  S.  W.  Harkey,  to  Miss  Mary 
Jane  Lynch,  daughter  of  William  Lynch,  Esq.,  then 
living  near  Jefferson,  Frederick  county,  Md.,  and  sister 
of  Judge  John  A.  Lynch,  at  present  of  Frederick. 

Everything  was  favorable  to  Mr.  Stork's  ministerial 
3  (37) 


38       THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


success  in  Winchester.  He  was  a  sympathizing  pastor, 
a  popular  preacher,  and  a  perfect  Christian  gentleman. 
His  people  were  ardently  attached  to  him  and  his  wife, 
and  gave  him  a  generous  support.  They  were  proud  of 
his  growing  reputation  abroad  and  the  admiration  he 
gained  from  the  influential  members  of  other  churches  in 
and  about  Winchester.  He  was  well  spoken  of  as  a 
preacher  through  the  valley,  and  strangers  staying  over 
Sunday  would  go  to  hear  Mr.  Stork,  of  whom  they 
heard  so  much  as  a  first-class  preacher.  And  thus  he 
went  on,  year  after  year,  gaining  still  greater  reputation 
as  a  pulpit  orator.  As  one  of  his  classmates  said,  three 
years  after  Mr.  Stork  went  to  Winchester,  "He  has  all 
the  elements  of  a  good  preacher — person,  voice,  manner, 
magnetism,  thought,  sentiment,  pungency  and  pathos." 

Dr.  Diehl,  who  was  his  hearer  for  eight  months  in 
1840,  and  whose  judgment  is  unbiased,  says:  "No 
competent  judge  will  question  that  in  the  delivery  of  his 
sermons,  in  the  gracefulness  and  propriety  of  gesture,  in 
freedom,  in  rich  and  varied  tones  of  voice,  in  the  electric 
power  flashing  from  his  eyes,  rarely  turning  to  the  man- 
uscript but  ranging  over  all  the  audience,  in  gushing 
thought  and  emotion  expressed  in  every  lineament  of  his 
face,  he  had  few  equals  during  the  first  five  or  six  years 
of  his  ministry." 

But  this  popularity  as  a  preacher  was  not  the  whole  of 
his  success.  It  was  not  all  which  he  aimed  at.  Doing 
good  to  the  souls  of  men  was  his  purpose ;  and  this  also, 
by  divine  grace,  he  accomplished.  The  fruits  of  his  min- 
istry were  abundant.    His  church  had  been  without  a 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


89 


minister  for  several  years.  Some  of  the  young  people 
had  strayed  away,  and  some  of  the  old  ones  were  begin- 
ning to  be  careless.  All  the  inconveniences  of  a  church 
without  a  pastor  were  experienced,  as  well  as  all  the  dis- 
advantages, but  soon  after  young  Stork  became  pastor  a 
gratifying  change  took  place.  The  attendance  on  public 
worship  steadily  increased.  Those  who  had  temporarily 
gone  off  returned,  and  those  who  had  remained  became 
more  strongly  attached.  The  young  people  resumed 
their  places,  and  the  number  of  catechumens  increased. 
The  Lord's  Supper  had  more  participants  than  in  former 
times,  and  the  addition  of  members  by  certificate  was 
greater.  The  church  was  full  of  attentive  hearers,  and 
harmony  prevailed  in  the  congregation. 

The  following  letter  from  the  Rev.  Dr.  D.  M.  Gilbert, 
of  Winchester,  gives  a  picture  of  Mr.  Stork's  character 
whilst  he  was  pastor  of  that  church : 

May  1st,  1885. 

Dear  Doctor :  Dr.  Theophilus  Stork  became  pastor  of  our 
church  here  October  9th,  1837,  being  then  in  the  24th  year  of  his 
age.  He  was,  as  you  are  well  aware,  from  the  time  of  his  en- 
trance upon  ministerial  life  very  popular  and  successful,  both  as 
a  preacher  and  pastor,  and  greatly  endeared  himself  to  all  classes 
of  people  in  the  congregation  by  his  amiable  disposition  and  his 
unaffected  interest  in  their  highest  welfare.  His  labors  were 
fruitful  in  good  results,  and  his  character  and  services  are  held 
in  affectionate  remembrance  by  all  yet  spared  to  us  who  were 
privileged  to  wait  on  his  ministry.  You  have,  no  doubt,  often 
noticed  how  some  little  foible  or  eccentricity  of  a  man  will  be 
remembered  and  spoken  of  by  his  friends  long  after  more  im- 
portant things  are  generally  forgotten.  I  find  it  somewhat  so 
in  the  case  of  Dr.  Stork.  No  one  has  told  me  anything  of  any 
particular  sermon  he  preached,   but  quite  frequently  have  I 


40       THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


heard  instances  given  of  his  indifference  in  those  early  days  with 
regard  to  matters  of  personal  appearance. 

The  characteristics  of  his  preaching  which  appear  to  be  espe- 
cially remembered  are  the  beauty  of  diction,  which  throughout 
life  marked  everything  that  he  wrote,  and  the  earnestness  of 
his  delivery.  A  friend  has  recently  told  me  that  he  well  remem- 
bers hearing  an  old  gentleman,  long  since  gone  to  his  rest,  in 
speaking  of  different  ministers,  say  something  like  this:  "I  like 
to  hear  Mr.  Stork  preach.  If  a  man  stands  in  the  door  of  his 
house,  gazing  aimlessly  about,  and  quietly  ejaculating,  as  if 
talking  to  himself,  'fire,  fire,'  who  pays  any  attention  to  him? 
But  if  he  rushes  out  into  the  street,  eagerly  looking  for  those 
whose  notice  he  would  attract,  and  with  uplifted  arms  shouting 
'  fire,  fire,  fire,'  it  is  not  likely  that  he  will  be  very  long  in  get- 
ting some  response  to  his  calls  ;  and  that  illustrates  just  about 
the  difference  between  Mr.  Stork's  style  of  preaching  and  that 
of  some  other  men.  He  evidently  feels  the  importance  of  his 
message,  of  the  solemnity  of  the  warnings  it  is  his  duty  to  give, 
and  when  he  speaks  them  out  to  you  from  the  pulpit  his  whole 
manner  shows  that  he  is  in  dead  earnest  about  it."  Everything 
that  I  have  ever  heard  about  Dr.  Stork's  preaching  in  the  first 
years  of  his  ministry  fully  accords  with  this  testimony. 

The  congregation  in  Winchester  was  greatly  strengthened  by 
Dr.  Stork's  ministrations,  and  it  was  during  his  residence  in 
Winchester  that  the  ground  was  purchased  for  the  building  of  a 
new  church,  which  was  completed  and  dedicated  about  three 
months  after  his  removal. 

The  attachment  which  grew  up  between  Dr.  Stork  and  the  peo- 
ple of  this,  his  first  pastoral  charge,  was  very  strong.  His  resig- 
nation, which  was  unexpected,  appears  to  have  been  regarded 
by  the  congregation  as  of  the  nature  of  a  serious  calamity.  He 
was  formally  urged  in  a  long  communication,  signed  by  the 
members  of  the  church  council,  to  reconsider  his  determination 
and  agree  to  devote  his  time  and  talents  to  the  interests  of  the 
Winchester  congregation  still  further,  being  assured  that  there 
would  be  no  difficulty  in  arranging  for  increase  of  salary  if  that 
would  prove  a  consideration  of  any  weight  in  the  decision.  This 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


41 


document,  a  copy  of  which  is  before  me  as  I  write,  expresses 
the  highest  regard  for  Mr.  Stork  personally,  and  an  affectionate 
appreciation  of  his  labors  as  a  minister,  as  being  "held  not  only 
by  the  congregation  but  by  the  whole  community  of  Winches- 
ter ;"  and  tells  him  that  the  council  have  resolved  to  take  no 
action  upon  his  resignation  offered  a  few  days  before,  until  they 
have  had  opportunity  to  communicate  more  ,  fully  with  him  on 
the  subject,  hoping  that  he  would  ultimately  decide  to  continue 
with  them. 

This  appeal,  in  connection  no  doubt  with  many  made  by  offi- 
cers and  members  of  the  congregation  in  personal  interviews, 
had  the  desired  effect  upon  Mr.  Stork.  He  was  not  prevailed 
upon  not  to  go  to  Philadelphia,  for  he  appears  to  have  commit- 
ted himself  too  fully  to  the  people  of  St.  Matthew's  for  that ;  but 
he  was  induced  to  enter  into  an  engagement  to  return  to  the 
Winchester  church  either  in  the  spring,  or  at  furthest  at  the 
close  of  one  year's  service  in  St.  Matthew's.  This  arrangement 
was  concluded  after  Mr.  Stork's  departure,  for  I  tind  in  the  re- 
cords a  copy  of  a  letter  from  the  council,  addressed  to  him  at 
Philadelphia  in  October,  1844,  which  says,  "  Your  favor  accept- 
ing again  the  charge  of  the  church  in  Winchester  was  duly  re- 
ceived," and  in  which  Mr.  Stork  is  assured  of  "the  sincere  and 
ardent  satisfaction  of  the  congregation  at  the  prospect,"  etc. 
Our  congregation  here,  in  view  of  this  engagement,  engaged  the 
late  Rev.  Jas.  R.  Keiser  as  a  supply  until  the  time  appointed  for 
Mr.  Stork's  return. 

But  the  arrangement,  as  you  know,  was  never  carried  out. 
At  a  meeting  of  the  Winchester  church  council,  held  May  4th, 
1842,  a  letter  from  Mr.  Stork  was  presented,  in  which  he  asked 
to  be  released  from  his  engagement  for  reasons  therein  set  forth  ; 
whereupon,  by  resolution,  he  was  unanimously  released,  and 
the  council,  "collectively  and  individually  tendered  him,  as 
their  friend  and  former  pastor,  their  best  wishes  for  a  speedy 
restoration  to  health,  and  for  his  future  usefulness  in  his  present 
field  of  labor." 

Yours  truly,  D.  M.  Gilbert. 


CHAPTER  III. 


REMOVAL  TO  PHILADELPHIA — PASTOR  OF  ST.  MATTHEW'S — RE- 
VIVAL SYSTEM — LETTERS  PROM  PARISHIONERS — HIS  OWN  LET- 
TERS— SECRETARY  OF  GENERAL  SYNOD — SCENE  IN  A  COUNTRY 
CHURCH — LETTER  FROM  CHARLESTON  IN  1850 — DESCRIPTION 
OF  A  VOYAGE — FORMATION  OF  EAST  PENNSYLVANIA  SYNOD  IN 
1841 — ORGANIZATION  OF  ST.  MARK'S — CALL  TO  NEWBERRY, 
S.  C. 

EARLY  in  1840,  the  second  Lutheran  church  in  Ger- 
mantown,  Pa.,  since  served  so  many  years  by  Rev. 
Dr.  L.  E.  Albert,  called  Mr.  Stork  as  pastor,  but  he  de- 
clined accepting  it. 

In  1841,  he  was  elected  pastor  of  St.  Matthew's  church 
in  New  street,  Philadelphia,  as  the  successor  of  Rev. 
Mr.  Mealey.  This  church  was  founded  and  built  under 
the  ministerial  care  of  Rev.  C.  P.  Krauth,  sr.,  who  be- 
gan his  arduous  work  in  the  upper  room  of  what  was 
then  known  as  the  Academy,  corner  of  Fourth  and  Arch 
streets.  It  was  a  struggle  from  the  beginning  to  the 
consummation.  Mr.  Krauth  labored  faithfully  amid  many 
discouragements,  receiving  no  sympathy  from  the  Ger- 
man churches,  and  very  little  from  the  only  English  one 
then  in  Philadelphia.  Many  men  would  have  succumbed 
under  this  heavy  responsibility  and  unpromising  enter- 
prise, but  that  man  of  delicate  frame  and  feeble  voice 
had  an  iron  will,  sanctified  by  divine  grace,  and  a  per- 
severance in  the  accomplishment  of  a  good  object  that 
could  not  be  intimidated. 

(42) 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


48 


Mr.  Stork  accepted  this  call  and  removed  to  Phila- 
delphia in  September,  1841. 

He  here  had  a  wider  field  of  operation — he  was  thrown 
into  new  associations — there  were  many  other  first-class 
preachers  in  that  city  but  he  had  four  years'  experience, 
and  he  was  young  and  vigorous  and  ardent.  He  had  a 
holy  ambition  to  succeed  in  his  new  field,  and  he  had 
the  happiness  of  seeing  his  church  growing  steadily,  and 
many  strong  friends  gathering  around  him.  It  was  at 
that  time  the  only  English  Lutheran  church  in  Philadel- 
phia, besides  St.  John's  in  Race  street,  and  was  not  in  a 
locality  most  favorable  to  progress  ;  but  with  this  disad- 
vantage, and  others  which  need  not  be  mentioned,  he 
soon  filled  his  house  of  worship  with  an  attentive  and 
attached  congregation.  He  took  an  active  interest  in 
the  religious  movements  of  the  day,  and  freely  co-operated 
with  other  ministers  in  the  promotion  of  our  common 
Christianity. 

It  was  the  day  when  the  revival  system  was  popular 
in  nearly  all  the  churches,  and  when  remarkable  religious 
excitement  extensively  prevailed.  Numerous  meetings 
were  held  all  over  the  country  ;  and  although  extravagan- 
ces among  a  certain  class  of  people  seemed  unavoidable, 
and  some  ministers  even  were  sometimes  drawn  into  the 
use  of  measures  of  doubtful  expediency,  still  there  is  no 
doubt  that  thousands  of  persons  heard  the  truths  of  the 
gospel  impressively  set  forth  who  were  not  regular  church 
goers,  and  many  were  induced  to  ask  how  to  be  saved, 
who  before  were  indifferent.  Even  if  hundreds  of  pro- 
fessed converts  did  not  keep  their  vows,  yet  hundreds 


44       THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


more  did,  and  died  or  still  live  in  the  faith.  Superficial 
profession  and  presumed  conversion  are  inseparable  from 
extensive  religious  excitement,  and  the  great  mistake  of 
those  days,  and  indeed  of  any  "revival,"  is  the  neglect  of 
teaching  these  converts  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel  as 
catechumens  before  admitting  them  to  the  full  privileges 
of  the  church.  If  we  who  practiced  the  system  to  a 
greater  or  less  extent  had  formed  catechetical  classes  of 
these  people  and  taught  them  as  we  do  our  catechumens, 
we  would  not  have  had  so  many  apostacies  to  lament. 

When  Mr.  Stork  accepted  the  pastorate  of  St.  Mat- 
thew's, he  adopted  the  revival  system  with  vigor.  A 
pious  mother  in  Israel  remembers  the  time,  "when  in 
that  church,  heads  of  families  and  young  and  old  were 
irresistibly  drawn  to  the  altar,  and  the  aisles  were  filled 
up  with  anxious,  penitent  souls.  Strangers,  even  young 
and  thoughtless,  could  hardly  remain  in  their  pews,  so 
evidently  was  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  manifested. 
This  state  of  things  continued  during  his  whole  pastor- 
ate, until  the  new  church  in  Spring  Garden  street  was 
completed,  and  there  he  continued  his  earnest  appeals  to 
sinners,  and  he  could  not  rest  satisfied  unless  he  felt  that 
the  presence  of  God  was  with  his  labors.  The  people 
were  devoted  to  their  pastor,  and  would  walk  long  dis- 
tances to  attend  every  service  during  the  week." 

This  witness  to  his  fidelity  thus  continues :  "I  have 
felt  it  to  be  my  duty  for  a  long  time  to  bear  testimony 
for  the  glory  of  God  and  to  encourage  my  dear  pastor  by 
telling  what  divine  grace  can  do  and  has  done  in  answer 
to  our  prayers,  and  especially  to  a  mother's,  and  how  God 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


45 


has  blessed  a  mother  and  her  eight  children.  Consecrated 
to  God  by  prayer  and  baptism,  and  when  they  were 
capable  of  receiving  instruction,  they  were  taught  the 
doctrines  of  the  gospel  and  their  duties  as  Christians 
from  Luther's  Catechism  by  Mr.  Stork,  and  confirmed  by 
him,  and  ever  since  they  have  followed  Christ." 

EXTRACTS  FROM  A  FEW  OF  THE  MANY  LETTERS  WRITTEN 
BY  DR.  STORK  TO  HIS  FORMER  PARISHIONERS 
AT  WINCHESTER. 

Philadelphia,  January  12,  1841. 

After  some  apologies  for  his  delay  in  answering  the  dear  sis- 
ter's letter,  he  proceeds: 

I  must  tell  you  what  the  Lord  has  done  for  us  here.  I  have 
been  having  a  protracted  meeting  for  nearly  three  weeks  in  St. 
Matthew's,  and  the  Lord  has  blessed  us,  beyond  even  the  meas- 
ure of  our  faith.  During  the  meeting  there  have  been  upward 
of  fifty  anxious  souls  who  have  asked  "what  they  must  do  to 
be  saved."  Nearly  forty  have  professed  a  change  of  heart. 
And  last  Sunday  I  received  upwards  of  thirty  into  the  church 
by  confirmation,  baptism,  and  certificate.  The  work  is  still 
going  on — preaching  every  night,  and  anxious  meeting  every 
afternoon.  I  believe  there  were  sixteen  at  anxious  meeting  this 
afternoon. 

But  with  all  this  good  news,  I  am  sorry  to  say  1  have  been 
much  afflicted  in  body  for  the  last  three  weeks.  In  fact,  my 
lungs  are  affected.  I  have  scarcely  had  an  undisturbed  night's 
rest  during  the  meeting.  My  general  health  is  bad.  Next 
week  I  intend  to  have  my  chest  examined  by  one  of  the  best 
physicians  in  this  country,  and  if  he  should  confirm  my  present 
apprehensions,  I  do  not  know  what  I  shall  do. 

Well  now,  I  suppose  you  desire  to  know  when  I  intend  com- 
ing to  Winchester.  What  shall  I  say  ?  I  am  not  unwilling  to 
fulfill  my  promise,  but  if  my  health  continues  to  decline,  I  could 
do  but  little  good.  But  spring  will  determine  the  matter.  I 
3* 


46       THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


have  not  yet  told  any  of  the  congregation  here  of  my  engage- 
ment, for  fear  it  would  injure  my  usefulness. 

Have  C,  H.,  and  Y.  become  pious?  I  have  prayed  for  them 
all.  O,  that  they  would  remember  their  Creator  in  the  days  of 
their  youth.  Several  about  the  age  of  V.  came  out  during  the 
meeting  here,  and  are  now  rejoicing  in  the  Saviour. 

#  *  *  *  *  * 

Philadelphia,  December  10th,  1842. 
Your  kind  letter  came  to  me  as  a  comforter  in  the  gloomy 
hours  of  affliction.  For  the  last  three  or  four  days  I  have  been 
confined  to  my  chamber  and  bed,  with  a  bilious  attack.  You 
must  never  consider  your  letters  as  an  intrusion  ;  no,  they  are 
to  me  the  most  welcome  messengers.  They,  as  if  by  one  magic 
touch,  open  up  the  whole  of  the  reminiscences  of  Winchester. 
I  feel  soothed  ;  it  is  a  luscious  melancholy  like  that  produced  by 
the  sweet  and  simple  songs  of  my  childhood.  I  assure  you  that 
I  am  exceedingly  delighted  to  receive  a  letter  from  any  of  my 
friends,  but  more  especially  from  one  who  always  sympathized 
with  me  in  my  ministerial  difficulties,  and  gave  me  so  many 
tokens  of  friendship  and  Christian  affection.  It  is  true  I  am 
not  always  prompt  in  responding  to  letters  that  I  receive,  but 
that  is  owing  to  the  incessant  pressure  of  ministerial  duties,  and 
sometimes  to  a  natural  negligence  which  has  nothing  to  do  with 
the  heart. 

As  you  rejoice  in  the  conversion  of  sinners  everywhere,  I  must 
give  you  a  little  account  of  our  meeting.  I  kept  up  a  meeting 
in  St.  Matthew's  for  three  weeks  without  interruption.  We 
had  not  as  extensive  a  work  as  last  winter,  but  we  have  reason 
to  be  thankful  for  what  has  been  done.  Eighteen  or  twenty 
professed  conversion  during  the  meeting,  and  the  church  was 
greatly  revived.  But  at  present  I  am  unable  to  preach,  and 
indeed  my  system  for  some  time  has  been  prostrated.  I  expect 
I  will  have  to  go  to  the  country  yet,  and  take  a  charge  where  I 
would  have  riding  on  horseback  and  exercise  in  the  open  air. 

It  would  be  useless  for  me  to  say  that  nothing  would  afford 
me  more  real  satisfaction  than  to  be  present  and  participate  in 
the  solemn  exercises  of  the  consecration.    O,  it  would  indeed  be 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


47 


an  intellectual  and  spiritual  feast  !    But  what  could  I  do  as  I 
now  am  ?    I  would  be  utterly  unable  to  engage  in  the  exercises 
of  the  occasion. 
I  would  write  more,  but  my  head  feels  as  if  it  were  bursting. 
■*  *  *  *  *  *  •* 

Philadelphia,  February  19th,  1844. 

Nothing  can  give  me  such  unmingled  satisfaction  as  to  hear 
from  time  to  time  of  one  and  another  of  my  old  friends  giving 
themselves  to  the  Lord.  I  rejoice  in  the  intelligence  that  Mr. 
J.  H.  and  Mr.  P.  M.  have  professed  their  faith  in  the  Son  of 
God.  Congratulate  them  for  me,  and  tell  them  for  me  to  en- 
dure hardness  as  good  soldiers  of  the  cross,  and  I  will  pledge 
myself,  by  the  grace  of  God,  to  meet  them,  and  all  my  pious 
friends  in  Winchester,  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Judge,  and  stand 
together  upon  Mount  Zion,  inhaling  immortal  joys. 

I  was  gratified  with  the  effusions  of  piety  in  your  letter,  and 
you  must  pardon  me  when  I  tell  you  that  I  repeated  some  of  the 
sentiments  of  your  letter  in  our  prayer-meeting.  Of  course,  I 
did  not  mention  your  name.  When  I  was  in  Virginia  a  few 
weeks  ago,  I  cast  a  longing  look  towards  Winchester,  but  it  was 
impossible  to  indulge  the  luxury  of  a  visit  at  that  time.  I  was 
on  a  wedding  excursion,  and  was  obliged  to  return  before  Sab- 
bath. 

*  *  #  *  *  *•  *- 

I  am  happy  in  knowing  that  you  are  now  supplied  with  a  pas- 
tor whose  labors  are  universally  satisfactory,  and  which,  by  the 
blessing  of  the  Great  Head  of  the  Church,  will  be  productive 
of  great  and  permanent  good.  And  I  feel  some  satisfaction  in 
the  reflection  that  I  did  all  in  my  power  to  secure  his  valuable 
services  for  the  church  so  dear  to  my  heart. 

We  are,  I  think,  in  a  healthful  and  prosperous  condition. 
But  in  consequence  of  my  health,  I  have  not  been  able  to  hold 
any  protracted  meetings  this  winter.  The  doctor  urged  upon 
me  the  necessity  of  leaving  the  city,  and  taking  some  charge  in  the 
country.  But  how  can  I  again  rupture  the  ties  that  have  been 
formed  ?  And  yet,  if  there  is  no  change  for  the  better,  I  will 
be  compelled  to  submit.    If  I  remain  here,  how  gladly  will  I 


48       THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


welcome  you  in  our  midst,  and  do  all  in  my  power  to  make 
your  stay  the  most  happy. 

Philadelphia,  June  24,  1844. 
Since  the  receipt  of  your  letter  there  has  been  quite  a  revolu- 
tion in  my  temporal  position — I  have  at  length  entered  upon 
the  hitherto  untried  pleasures  of  housekeeping.  I  am  now  com- 
fortably lodged  and  boarded  in  my  own  house,  and  as  the  old 
6aying  is,  place  my  feet  under  my  own  table.  I  assure  you  I 
find  it  quite  a  change  for  the  better.  I  have  everything  that  I 
desire  of  this  world,  and  if  kind  Providence  will  now  deign  to 
add  the  blessing  of  heaven  to  the  grace  of  God,  enable  me  to 
glorify  Him,  who  loved  me  and  gave  Himself  for  me,  I  shall 
have  all  for  which  I  care  and  pray.  One  of  the  greatest  pleas- 
ures of  housekeeping,  is  the  opportunity  it  furnishes  for  the  ex- 
ercise of  hospitality.  I  have  felt  it  already,  and  I  can  assure  you, 
nothing  will  afford  me  greater  pleasure  than  to  entertain  any  of 
my  Winchester  friends  in  whose  kind  rich  hospitality  I  have  so 
richly  shared. 

This  is  quite  a  chapter  on  housekeeping — but  as  it  is  quite  a 
novelty  with  me,  you  will  excuse  this  exuberance  of  feeling. 

I  am  happy  to  hear  from  time  to  time  of  your  increasing  pros- 
perity in  the  church.    Bro.  S         is  a  man  whose  worth  will 

increase  in  your  estimation  the  longer  you  know  him.  He  has 
rare  excellencies  as  a  man  and  preacher.  And  I  am  sure,  from 
what  I  know  of  you  all,  you  will  appreciate  his  merits  and  love 
him  most  dearly.  Our  church  matters  are  prosperous,  though 
nothing  special.  I  expect  to  have  quite  an  addition  at  our  next 
communion.  There  seems  to  have  been  rather  a  spiritual  bar- 
renness throughout  the  churches  during  the  last  year.  But  I 
think  God  has  been  teaching  us  a  lesson  which  it  was  important 
for  the  church  to  learn,  and  which  will  ultimately  be  attended 
with  greater  and  richer  blessings  to  Zion. 

I  would  gladly  accept  your  invitation  to  spend  part  of  the 
summer  with  you.  But  it  is  probable  I  shall  not  be  able  to 
travel  this  summer.  I  must  be  more  economical.  If  I  leave  at 
all,  it  will  be  only  for  a  few  weeks.  So  that  I  shall  not  enjoy 
the  happiness  of  spending  some  time  in  Winchester  this  summer. 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


49 


HOME  CORRESPONDENCE. 

New  York,  May  13th,  1848. 

Sunday  Evening :  We  had  (at  the  meeting  of  the  General 
Synod)  a  most  precious  and  soul  edifying  Sabbath.  In  the 
morning  Dr.  Bachman,  of  Charleston,  preached  a  most  thrilling 
and  rousing  sermon.  He  is  in  the  evening  of  life,  but  seems  to 
possess  the  fervor,  and  fire,  and  enthusiasm  of  youth.  In  the  af- 
ternoon we  had  a  Synodical  Communion.  There,  around  the 
altar,  knelt  about  fifty  ministers  of  Jesus  Christ — the  hoary 
headed  and  the  young  from  all  parts  of  the  United  States.  To 
me,  and  I  believe  to  all,  it  was  deeply  affecting  and  impressive. 
I  wept  like  Mary  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  and  I  rejoiced  like  Peter 
on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration.  Harris  remarks,  "The  nearer 
we  are  drawn  to  the  cross  the  closer  we  are  bound  to  His  people." 
I  felt  this  to-day.  Just  as  in  the  natural  world,  the  nearer  the 
great  centre  of  gravitation  the  greater  the  power  of  cohesive  at- 
traction, so  the  nearer  the  cross,  the  great  central  point  of  spirit- 
ual gravitation,  the  closer  the  affinity  and  cohesion  of  souls. 

I  shall  be  full  of  business  and  perplexity  while  here,  as  the 
Synod  has  appointed  me  Secretary — it  is  a  very  laborious  busi- 
ness.* I  hope  to  return  on  Wednesday,  so  as  to  give  me  Thurs- 
day to  finish  my  lecture  on  Poetry  in  the  evening. 

Harper's  Ferry,  A.ug.  4,  1848. 

I  am  here — a  place  which  Jefferson  said  was  worth  a  trip 
across  the  ocean  to  see.  I  rose  this  morning  early  to  see  the  sun 
rise  over  the  mountains,  and  as  the  rosy  morn  flushed  with  a 
golden  radiance  the  summit  of  the  hoary  mount,  I  thought  of 
Coleridge,  who,  as  he  stood  in  the  vale  of  Chamouny,  looking 
up  at  the  sky-pointing  Alps,  exclaimed:  "  Who  sunk  thy  sun- 
less pillars  deep  in  earth?"  etc. 

My  soul  was  filled  with  silent  praise  as  I  stood  at  the  base  of 
the  mountain  and  looked  up  to  its  top,  all  sparkling  in  the 
morning  sun.    There  was  something  profoundly  humiliating, 

*The  Doctor  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  a  good  portion  of  his  manu- 
script, and  parts  of  the  Proceedings  were  made  up  and  printed  from 
memory.— J.  Q.  M, 


50       THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


and  yet  sublimely  elevating,  in  the  thought  that  I  through 
Christ  was  permitted  to  feel  myself  a  child  of  Him,  "who  look- 
eth  upon  the  mountains  and  they  tremble,  and  toucheth  the  hills 
and  they  smoke,"  and,  with  filial  endearment  and  trust,  to  look 
up  through  all  the  beauties  and  sublimities  of  nature,  and  say, 
"My  Father  made  them  all.  Behold  what  manner  of  love  the 
Father  hath  bestowed  on  us,  that  we  should  be  called  sons  of 
God." 

Baltimore,  August  22,  1848. 
Sabbath :  I  was  detained  up  the  country  ;  went  to  church  in 
a  most  retired  part  of  Baltimore  county,  enjoyed  the  Sabbath 
very  much.  In  the  evening  I  went  to  a  Methodist  church  ;  the 
minister  did  not  come,  the  members  conducted  a  prayer- meeting. 
An  old  Israelite  got  up  and  gave  out  the  hymn — ' '  A  charge  to 
keep  I  have,"  etc.  He  made  some  very  simple  remarks,  and  my 
heart  melted,  and  I  wept.  Then  they  sang — "  When  I  can  read 
my  title  clear,"  etc.,  to  a  good  old  tune.  I  could  stand  it  no 
longer ;  I  rose  from  my  seat,  and  went  forward  to  the  man  con- 
ducting the  meeting  and  told  him  I  would  like  to  say  something. 
I  felt  an  irresistible  impulse  to  speak  something  of  Jesus  to  the 
people.  I  spoke,  I  believe,  nearly  three  quarters  of  an  hour 
with  tears  and  affection.  One  of  Dr.  Plnmer's  members  from 
the  city  was  out  staying  at  the  same  hotel  with  me.  He  told 
me  afterwards,  it  was  one  of  the  happiest  meetings  he  was  ever 
at — that  he  wept  like  a  child  all  the  time,  and  that  all  around 
him  were  bathed  in  tears.  It  seemed  to  me  that  God  moved  me 
to  go  to  that  meeting  and  to  speak.  I  felt  as  if  I  could  never  tire 
of  speaking  to  people  of  the  wonders  of  redeeming  love  yester- 
day. I  had  a  long  talk  with  a  poor  old  negro  man  about  the 
Saviour.  He  was  very  ignorant,  but  I  tried  to.  urge  him  to  seek 
Jesus  by  turning  from  ail  his  sins,  and  loving  Him  with  all  his 
heart.  He  seemed  very  much  affected,  and  promised  me  to  be- 
gin to  pray  that  night.  I  assure  you,  dearest,  I  would  rather 
be  the  poorest  minister  of  Jesus  than  to  be  emperor  of  the  world. 
I  believe  I  felt  a  thrill  of  pleasure  and  sublimity  of  joy  beside 
that  old  negro  man,  such  as  no  earthly  distinction  or  glory  could 
ever  impart. 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


51 


In  1850^  he  was  a  member  of  the  General  Synod, 
which  met  in  Charleston,  S.  C,  and  this  is  the  proper 
place  to  insert  the  following  : 

LETTER  TO  MRS.  STORK. 

Charleston,  April  27,  1850. 
The  fresh  and  balmy  breathing  of  the  ocean,  and  the  songs  of 
the  morning  birds,  remind  me  that  I  am  writing  to  my  wife, 
from  the  sunny  South.  But  you  are  anxious  to  know  about  our 
trip,  and  the  first  impressions  of  Charleston.  I  felt  sad  after 
leaving  you,  lest  you  should  be  lonely  when  I  was  gone.  And 
yet  you  appeared  so  happy  that  I  was  reconciled  to  what  was 
before  me.  At  Washington  we  met  twelve  or  thirteen  of  our 
ministers  on  their  way  to  Synod,  and  with  such  company  the 
hours  fled  as  rapidly  as  the  rolling  cars.  We  traveled  all  day 
and  night.  At  Wilmington,  N.  C,  we  took  the  steamboat, 
about  two  o'clock  p.  m.,  on  Thursday.  From  this  point  we  had 
one  hundred  and  sixty  miles  on  the  ocean.  This  was  unex- 
pected by  me.  It  was  a  glorious  sail  upon  the  ocean.  It  was 
moonlight,  and  everything  above  us  and  around  us  was  rich  and 
vocal  with  the  glory  of  Cod.  Some  of  the  brethren  wished  me 
whilst  standing  upon  the  upper  deck,  with  the  gorgeous  heavens 
above  us  pearled  round  with  glittering  stars,  and  the  hoar 
ocean,  with  its  wild  waste  of  waters  and  eternal  roar,  was  roll- 
ing beneath  and  around  us — under  these  circumstances,  the 
brethren  wished  me  to  repeat  that  sublime  apostrophe  to  the 
ocean,  by  the  English  bard,  beginning, 

"Roil  on,  thou  deep  and  dark  blue  ocean,  roll  .  .  .  . 
Thou  glorious  mirror  where  the  Almighty's  form 
Glasses  itself  in  tempests,"  etc. 

And  then  that  couplet  in  which  the  poet  expresses  the  un- 
changeableness  of  the  ocean,  I  think  one  of  the  finest  specimens 
of  the  truly  poetical : 

"  Time  writes  no  wrinkles  on  thy  azure  brow  ; 
As  creation's  dawn  beheld  thee,  thou  rollest  now." 

It  was  to  me  a  night  of  unusual  enjoyment  :  my  soul  seemed 
to  expand  and  swell  with  devout  astonishment  and  praise  at  the 


52 


THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


wonderful  works  of  the  Lord.  I  felt  tlie  insignificance  of  man 
in  the  presence  of  these  outshadowings  of  the  Almighty,  and 
yet  an  unspeakable  delight,  yea,  ecstasy  in  the  thought,  "My 
Father  made  them  all." 

But  yet  there  is  only  a  step  often  from  the  sublime  to  the 
ridiculous.  When  the  passengers  began  to  feel  that  strange  im- 
pulse from  within  to  pay  their  devotions  to  Neptune,  it  was 
ludicrous  enough  to  all  but  the  victims.  After  the  early  part  of 
the  evening  passed,  and  I  had  been  wrapped  in  thoughts  and 
feelings  such  as  described  above,  I  was  taken  sick,  and  spent  a 
miserable  night.  I  was  too  sick  almost  to  live.  It  was  dread- 
ful :  wearily  passed  the  sleepless  night ;  the  sea  was  rough,  and 
the  ship  rolled  and  tossed  upon  the  dashing  billows.  We  ar- 
rived here  about  nine  o'clock  on  Friday  morning. 

FORMATION  OF  EAST  PENNSYLVANIA  SYNOD. 

When  he  settled  in  Philadelphia  in  1841,  there  was 
but  one  Lutheran  Synod  in  that  State  east  of  the  Sus- 
quehanna. The  proceedings  at  the  meetings  were  for  the 
most  part  conducted  in  the  German  language,  which  some 
of  the  young  clergy  did  not  clearly  understand  ;  but  this 
of  itself  would  not  have  been  regarded  as  a  sufficient 
ground  for  a  division. 

A  "Broadside,"  with  the  title  of  "Thoughts  on  the 
Formation  of  a  New  Synod  in  the  Eastern  District  of 
Pennsylvania "  (said  to  have  been  written  by  Prof. 
Reynolds),  was  circulated,  which  contained  what  were  re- 
garded as  very  strong  reasons  for  the  proposed  measure.* 

The  first  meeting  for  the  purpose  of  considering  the 
expediency  of  forming  this  new  Synod  was  held  in  Lan- 
caster, May  2,  1842,  during  the  meeting  of  the  parent 

*This  document  has  become  very  scarce,  but  a  copy  may  be 
consulted  in  the  rooms  of  the  Historical  Society,  Gettysburg. 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


53 


Synod,  at  which  ten  ministers  and  three  laymen  were 
present.  A  memorial  to  the  Synod  of  Pennsylvania  was 
adopted  and  presented,  but  the  Synod  resolved  that 
"  they  would  in  nowise  consent  to  a  division  of  this  body, 
but  should  any  brethren  consider  it  desirable  to  separate 
from  us,  an  honorable  dismission  shall  be  given  them  as 
individuals,  if  they  so  request." 

Upon  this  action  of  the  mother  Synod,  nine  ministers 
and  two  lay  delegates  withdrew  to  the  lecture-room,  when 
the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Synod  of  East  Pennsylvania 
was  organized,  and  all  provision  was  made  for  a  perma- 
nent constitution  and  all  other  features  of  a  regularly- 
constituted  ecclesiastical  body. 

It  was  resolved  to  meet  as  a  new  Synod  in  Lebanon,* 
on  September  15,  1842.  At  the  first  regular  meeting 
eleven  ministers  and  four  lay  delegates  were  recognized 
as  members. 

At  this  meeting  a  communication  to  the  President  of  the 
new  Synod  from  the  President  of  the  Synod  of  Pennsyl- 
vania was  submitted  to  a  committee,  which  animadverted 
sharply  on  its  spirit  and  contents.  This  of  course  gave 
offence  to  the  old  Synod,  which,  with  other  presumed  or 
real  grievances,  led  it  to  refuse  the  reception  of  the  del- 
egate of  the  new  Synod  to  the  old,  and  this  delegate  was 
Dr.  Stork  himself. 

At  the  next  meeting  of  the  new  Synod  he  presented  a  re- 
port conveyed  in  moderate  and  conciliatory  language,  al- 
though he  considered  the  treatment  as  very  harsh.  The 
action  of  the  Synod  upon  his  report  was  anything  but  re- 


It  was  afterwards  changed  to  Pikeland,  Chester  county. 


54       THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  TEE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


taliatory,  but  the  breach  was  widened,  and  a  long  con- 
troversy ensued. 

I  dwell  so  long  upon  these  facts  for  the  purpose  of 
showing  Dr.  Stork's  connection  with  them,  for  he  subse- 
quently bore  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  protracted  news- 
paper discussion,  and  thus  brought  upon  himself  the 
severe  condemnation  of  some  influential  men.  But  time 
heals  many  feuds,  and  before  Dr.  Stork  died  he  had  the 
happiness  of  seeing  the  revival  of  a  more  fraternal  feel- 
ing between  the  two  Synods,  as  well  as  between  individ- 
ual members  of  them. 

As  early  as  1849,  Mr.  Stork  became  dissatisfied  with 
the  location  of  his  church  in  New  street,  although  the 
congregation  was  large  and  the  Sunday-school  flourishing. 
Some  of  the  members  had  moved  to  the  northwestern 
section  of  the  city,  where  there  was  no  Lutheran  church, 
and  the  expediency  of  establishing  one  was  considered. 
The  result  was  the  purchase  of  a  lot  on  Spring  Garden 
street,  near  Thirteenth,  and  the  erection  of  a  splendid 
house  of  worship,  surmounted  by  a  very  tall  spire. 

He  resigned  his  pastorship  of  St.  Matthew's  on  August 
1,  1850,  after  eight  years'  service,  and  entered  upon  his 
duties  as  pastor  of  St.  Mark's,  as  it  was  called. 

He  was  succeeded  at  St.  Matthew's  by  Rev.  Mr.  Hut- 
ter.  At  the  Synod  of  October,  1851,  he  reported  a 
communion  list  of  120  members,  which  increased  to  205 
in  1852. 

He  resigned  his  pastorship  of  St.  Mark's  in  the  latter 
part  of  1858  in  answer  to  a  call  to  the  Presidency  of 
Newberry  College,  S.  C. ;  and  in  the  winter  of  1859  he 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  I). 


55 


proceeded  to  Newberry,  S.  C,  arriving  there  on  Febru- 
ary 22d.  He  at  once  entered  upon  his  duties,  but  he 
was  not  inaugurated  as  President  until  the  meeting  of  the 
Synod  in  the  fall.  Dr.  J.  A.  Brown  was  Professor  in 
the  Theological  department,  and  these  two  men,  to  some 
extent,  interchanged  their  labors — Mr.  Stork  giving  in- 
struction in  Church  History  and  some  other  theological 
subjects,  while  Dr.  Brown  rendered  an  equivalent  in 
Greek  in  college. 

During  his  residence  there,  Mr.  Stork  was  also  elected 
pastor  of  the  church  in  the  village.  He  held  this  position 
for  about  six  months. 

All  my  efforts  to  procure  information  concerning  Dr. 
Stork's  special  labors  and  incidents  during  his  brief  resi- 
dence at  Newberry,  from  residents,  colleagues  and 
students,  have  failed. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


ORGANIZATION  OF  ST.  MARK'S  IN  PHILADELPHIA — RETIREMENT 
FROM  THE  PULPIT  FOR  A  YEAR — LETTERS — INCIDENTS. 

ORGANIZATION  OF  ST.  MARK'S. 

THE  following  facts  connected  with  the  organization 
of  St.  Mark's  are  obligingly  furnished  by  one  who 
took  an  active  part  in  the  enterprise. 

Dr.  Stork  was  unanimously  elected  pastor  of  St.  Mat- 
thew's on  July  19,  1841,  and  took  charge  of  the  church 
at  a  salary  of  $800  a  year.  His  introductory  sermon 
was  on  the  words  1  Cor.  ii.  2:  "For  I  determine  not  to 
know  any  thing  among  you,  save  Jesus  Christ  and  Him 
crucified,"  which  he  lived  by  example  and  precept  all 
through  his  life.  When  he  came  to  us,  the  Lutheran 
churches  in  Philadelphia  were  not  in  the  most  prosperous 
spiritual  condition;  but  before  long  Mr.  Stork  infused 
new  life  and  energy  into  St.  Matthew's,  and  raised  up  a 
congregation  of  loving,  devoted,  useful  Christian  worship- 
pers. Through  his  influence  and  prayers,  the  Lord  sent 
His  Spirit  among  us.  More  than  forty  souls  were  added 
to  the  church,  and  from  that  time  forward  the  congrega- 
tion flourished  spiritually  as  well  as  financially.  He 
organized  Friday  evening  prayer  meetings,  which  were 
well  attended;  the  next  step  was  a  Sunday  morning 
prayer-meeting  of  young  men,  which  resulted  in  much 
good.    Many  young  men  boldly  and  honestly  came  out 

(56) 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


57 


as  leaders  in  prayer.  After  two  years  of  his  ministry 
his  wife  died  at  Germantown,  and  he  was  left  with  two 
sons,  Charles  and  William.  This  was  a  heavy  affliction 
for  our  pastor,  but  he  did  not  murmur  against  the  decree 
of  heaven,  but  endured  it  with  calm  Christian  resignation. 
After  the  lapse  of  several  years  he  married  Miss  Emma 
Baker,  of  Philadelphia,  a  most  estimable,  intelligent 
Christian  lady. 

About  the  year  1844,  Mr.  Stork  conceived  the  idea 
that  the  people  of  St.  Matthew's  should  extend  their 
borders  in  an  effort  to  organize  a  Sunday-school  in  the 
northern  section  of  the  city,  and  several  brethren  were 
appointed  to  carry  out  the  work.  They  met  with  en- 
couraging success,  and  within  five  years  a  very  fine  brick 
church  was  erected,  and  a  very  respectable  congregation 
gathered,  and  all  this  was  the  result  of  Mr.  Stork's  un- 
tiring energy  and  fervent  Christian  zeal. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  year  1850  he  held  a  consulta- 
tion in  reference  to  organizing  a  new  enterprise  in  the 
western  part  of  the  city.  An  interest  was  at  once  awak- 
ened in  it,  and  we  agreed  to  call  a  meeting  through  the 
public  papers,  inviting  all  Lutherans  and  others  who  felt 
concerned  to  meet  us.  The  first  meeting  was  attended 
by  twenty-four  persons.  The  second  call  brought  out  a 
larger  number.  At  this  meeting  a  man  and  his  wife,  en- 
tire strangers  to  us  all,  met  with  us,  and  she  was  the  only 
woman  present.  We  made  ourselves  known  to  them,  and 
treated  them  very  politely.  He  told  me  that  he  had  not 
been  inside  of  a  church  for  thirty  years,  but  that  he  had 
noticed  this  call,  and  stranger  as  he  was  to  us  all,  he  had 


58       THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 

determined  to  attend.  The  kindness  we  showed  him  im- 
pressed him  deeply,  and  he  resolved  to  cast  his  lot  among 
us.  He  became  one  of  our  most  active,  useful  and  exem- 
plary members. 

Our  first  measure  was  to  establish  a  Sunday-school  in 
Brotherly  Love  Hall.  This  was  about  March,  1850. 
The  school  continued  to  prosper  until  we  moved  into  the 
lecture-room,  which  was  consecrated  on  the  second  Sun- 
day of  February,  1851,  by  Rev.  Dr.  B.  Kurtz. 

From  that  time  our  school  and  church  membership  in- 
creased rapidly,  and  it  was  not  until  then  that  Mr.  Stork 
was  called  to  take  charge  of  the  church,  although  it  was 
thus  intended.  The  majority  of  the  people  of  St.  Mark's 
was  made  up  of  the  district  surrounding  it ;  a  number  of 
Methodists,  a  few  Presbyterians,  and  one  Roman  Catholic, 
united  with  us.  The  number  of  families  from  St.  Mat- 
thew's, the  mother  church,  which  joined  us  was  not  over 
twelve  or  thirteen,  although  the  whole  congregation  gen- 
erously stood  by  and  encouraged  us ;  the  credit  of  finan- 
cial help  principally  belongs  to  St.  Matthew's,  although  a 
portion  of  the  funds  also  came  from  other  sources. 

The  church  named  St.  Mark's  was  completed  and  con- 
secrated in  the  summer  of  1851.  All  went  on  very 
smoothly  until  1854,  when  Doctor  Stork's  health  began 
to  break  down  from  overwork,  and  he  resigned.  Doctor 
Charles  A.  Smith  was  called  to  supply  his  place.  In 
the  course  of  a  year  or  two,  Doctor  Stork's  health  was 
partially  restored,  and  the  congregation  desired  that  he 
should  return,  and  he  yielded  to  their  wishes. 

His  standing  as  a  minister  among  other  ministers  and 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


59 


denominations  was  very  high,  and  he  was  an  eminently 
useful  man. 

The  following,  without  place  or  date  or  name  of  per- 
son addressed,  evidently  has  reference  to  the  new  enter- 
prise of  St.  Mark's,  in  Philadelphia: 

Tuesday  (no  date). 
I  must  meet  a  committee  of  St.  Mark's  to-day.  I  feel  that  to 
unfold  my  heart  to  them  would  dispel  the  clouds  that  seem  to 
hang  over  my  soul.  There  is  an  unaccountable  tendency  to  de- 
pression. The  future  is  full  of  darkness.  My  only  refuge  is  in 
God,  and  my  soul  is  refreshed  in  the  shadow  of  the  Cross. 
After  prayer  this  morning  it  seemed  as  if  all  my  sadness  were 
gone.  I  feel  happy.  I  have  such  a  clear  conviction  that  God  is 
going  to  take  me  through  a  school,  for  the  disciplining  of  my 
spirit  and  the  perfection  of  my  Christian  character.  And  even 
trials,  and  disappointments,  and  crosses,  seem  as  blessings.  I  feel 
happy  that,  through  even  such  a  process,  my  proud  heart  may 
be  humbled  and  my  lofty  imaginations  be  made  low.  Pray  for 
me,  that  I  may  not  only  succeed  in  building  up  a  new  church 
for  Christ,  but  in  doing  that  I  may  gain  a  new  heart,  and  my 
soul  be  renovated  and  purified,  and  made  a  temple  indeed  for 
Christ,  beautified  with  salvation  and  adorned  with  all  the  grace 
of  the  Spirit.  This,  I  had  such  a  sweet  assurance  this  morning, 
is  what  the  Lord  is  going  to  do,  that  I  could  not  tell  you  the 
happiness  I  feel. 

LETTER  TO  HIS  SON,  THEN  A  STUDENT. 

Philadelphia.  Nov.  14,  1854. 

Dear  Charles  *  *  *  *  * 

I  am  glad  too,  that  you  feel  how  unfit  and  unwo:thy  you  are 
in  prospect  of  the  holy  office  of  the  ministry.  If  you  did  not 
feel  so,  it  would  argue  in  you  a  want  of  a  due  estimate  of  the 
work,  and  would  indeed  evidence  a  moral  unfitness  for  the  min- 
istry. You  say  you  cannot  go  alone.  You  are  not  required  ; 
Jesus  still  says,  "Lo,  I  am  with  you."  You  are  nothing  in  your 
own  strength,  but  you  have  God's  truth,  which  is  mighty,  to 


60       THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


proclaim,  and  you  have  the  promise  of  the  Holy  Ghost  to  give 
efficacy  to  that  truth,  and  Jesus  the  Almighty  Saviour,  to  be 
with  you  and  help  you  in  every  time  of  need.  I  would  rather 
be  the  humblest  minister  in  the  land,  to  preach  the  gospel  to 
perishing  sinners.  One  soul  won  to  Christ  and  heaven,  is  worth 
more  than  all  the  world,  beside  which  the  honors  and  wealth  of 
the  world  are  but  weeds  and  rags.  But  never  mind  the  future — 
only  cultivate  faith  and  love,  and  all  piety  and  prayer,  casting 
all  your  care  upon  God,  and  take  no  thought  for  the  morrow. 
Improve  your  time  both  in  the  culture  of  the  mind  and  the 
heart,  and  leave  the  rest  to  God. 

RETIREMENT  FROM  THE  PULPIT  FOR  A  YEAR. 

In  the  spring  of  1854  he  began  to  feel  the  effects  of 
constant  and  protracted  labor,  and  he  was  advised  by  his 
physician  to  abandon  his  pulpit  ministrations  and  pastoral 
work  for  a  year,  and  engage  in  some  employment  which 
would  compel  him  to  live  much  of  his  time  in  the  open 
air.  He  assumed  an  office  most  uncongenial  to  his  tastes, 
against  which  his  friends  should  have  vehemently  pro- 
tested. The  idea  that  the  poetical,  the  imaginative,  the 
versatile  Stork  should  have  been  content  for  a  whole  year 
to  tie  himself  down  to  a  subject  of  common  facts  and 
figures,  and  repeat  them  every  Sunday,  was  absurd. 
However  useful  and  important  the  cause  may  be,  he  was 
the  last  man  in  the  world  to  be  entrusted  with  it.  The 
irksomeness  of  repetition  was  of  itself  enough  to  break 
him  down  ;  and  although  he  had  a  different  audience  every 
time  he  presented  the  subject,  yet  it  was  the  same  un- 
varying theme,  and  this  palled  upon  his  refined  sensibil- 
ities. He  had  not  the  incentive  of  daily  bread  to  stimu- 
late perseverance,  nor  the  wants  of  the  needy  at  home  to 
urge  him  on  to  energetic  action.    Nor  did  the  necessary 


REV.  THEOPHTLUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


61 


absence  from  home,  which  this  work  required,  suit  his 
domestic  tastes  or  his  habits  of  reading,  or  his  sense  of 
duty  to  those  he  loved  to  meet  at  the  home  fireside,  He 
soon  gave  it  up,  a  wiser  if  not  a  better  man.  We  are 
not  all  fitted  to  all  kinds  of  Christian  work.  Many  a 
most  efficient  tract  society  secretary  would  have  been  as 
much  out  of  place  in  Mr.  Stork's  pulpit  as  he  was  in  the 
performance  of  the  routine  work  of  a  secretary's  office, 
or  in  the  presentation  of  the  same  subject  five  or  six  times 
in  a  month. 

Rev.  Charles  A.  Smith  served  St.  Mark's  for  the  year 
of  Mr.  Stork's  unsatisfactory  engagement  with  the  Tract 
Society.  He  resumed  the  pastoral  care  of  St.  Mark's  in 
the  summer  of  1855,  and  the  following  year  he  reported 
a  communion  list  of  375  members.  It  was  here  also  that 
the  "  New  Measure"  system,  then  so  popular,  was  prac- 
ticed, and  large  numbers  attended  these  extra  meetings. 
He  was  highly  esteemed  by  his  own  people,  and  gained 
the  admiration  of  many  who  were  not  members  of  his 
church. 

He  was  not  backward  in  promptly  rebuking  what  he 
deemed  unseemly  conduct  in  the  house  of  God,  as  we 
have  already  seen  when  speaking  of  him  while  yet  a 
student,  and  a  correspondent  from  Illinois  communicates 
the  following  instance  which  is  worthy  of  insertion.  He 
thus  writes  :  "On  my  first  visit  to  Philadelphia,  now  thirty- 
three  years  ago,  I  sought  out  the  then  youthful  congrega- 
tion of  the  popular  preacher,  Mr.  Stork,  in  Spring  Gar- 
den street.  To  my  great  disappointment  another  man 
preached,  and  closely  read  a  long  sermon,  and  the  peo- 
4 


62       THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 

pie  seemed  to  be  impatient,  especially  when  Mr.  Stork 
rose  and  began  some  announcements  and  general  remarks 
relative  to  the  church.  The  people  became  more  uneasy 
and  restive,  indicating  a  desire  to  be  dismissed  without 
delay.  This  unbecoming  manifestation  roused  him,  and 
he  settled  them  down  more  quickly  and  effectually  than  I 
have  ever  seen  before  or  since.  He  rose  to  his  full  height, 
and  elevating  his  right  hand,  he  exclaimed  in  ringing 
tones,  *  You  can  sit  in  theatres  and  concerts  till  11  or  12 
o'clock  at  night  and  show  no  signs  of  weariness,  but  when 
the  unspeakable  interests  of  your  souls  are  being  consid- 
ered, your  patience  is  soon  exhausted.'  Immediately  all 
was  silent  as  death — no  motion,  no  cough,  not  a  stir — 
and  he  calmly  proceeded  to  speak  to  a  very  attentive 
congregation." 

The  following  letter  belongs  to  this  period  : 

Philadelphia,  March  4th,  1856. 

I  have  an  earnest  desire  to  be  a  sincere  and  faithful  minister 
of  Jesus  Christ.  I  think  I  have  lost  all  aspiration  for  mere 
fame — it  is  but  a  bubble.  But  a  true,  a  devoted  disciple  of 
Jesus,  to  be  a  faithful  preacher  of  His  gospel,  this  is  now  the 
burning  desire,  the  highest  ambition  of  my  heart.  Pray  for 
your  unworthy  husband.  I  say  unworthy,  because  I  feel  such  a 
painful  consciousness  that  I  am  not  worthy  of  the  love  of  my 
friends,  much  less  worthy  of  the  infinite  love  of  God. 

*  -x-  •*  *  *  *  * 

I  never  had  such  deep  self-abasement  before  God  as  in  prayer 
last  night,  and  yet  the  communion  was  sweet  and  refreshing. 

INCIDENTS. 

Doctor  Stork  had  a  brother  who  was  a  successful  busi- 
ness man,  and  who  wished  him  to  become  a  lawyer,  offer- 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


68 


ing  to  defray  his  expenses  and  to  establish  him  in  an 
office,  but  he  felt  his  call  to  the  ministry  to  be  impera- 
tive. 

This  brother  at  his  death  bequeathed  to  Doctor  Stork 
and  his  sister,  the  only  surviving  members  of  the  family, 
a  large  estate,  but  by  some  mischance  little  of  it  found 
its  way  to  the  pockets  of  either. 

A  curious  accident  befell  the  little  sum  that  came  as 
the  Doctor's  share.  The  bank  note  was  divided  into  two 
parts  to  be  sent  North,  and  each  part  was  sent  separately 
to  avoid  risk  of  loss.  Through  his  carelessness  one-half 
of  the  note  got  into  the  waste-basket,  where  the  house- 
keeper found  and  rescued  it. 

At  another  time,  he  made  an  engagement  to  preach  in 
a  church  at  one  of  our  popular  seaside  resorts.  The 
church  was  crowded  ;  all  were  waiting  patiently  for  the 
sermon;  but  just  at  that  moment  the  unfortunate 
preacher  discovered  that  a  stout  brother  had  sat  down 
upon  his  spectacles  and  smashed  them.  This  was  indeed 
a  dilemma.  But  he  was  equal  to  the  occasion,  and  per- 
formed his  task,  if  not  to  his  own  comfort,  at  least  to  the 
satisfaction  of  all  who  listened  to  him. 

A  cherished  friend  had  presented  him  with  a  neat  dia- 
mond breastpin.  He  used  to  say :  "  You  know  how  I 
feel  about  that  pin."  Well,  he  summoned  courage  to 
Avear  it  once  or  twice.  The  last  time  was  on  a  lecture 
occasion.  He  was  about  to  rise  up  to  speak  when  he 
suddenly  remembered  that  pin,  and  what  did  he  do,  but 
snatch  it  out  and  put  it  into  his  vest  pocket  ? 

Usually,  mornings  and  evenings  were  devoted  to  study 


64       THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


and  writing,  afternoons  to  pastoral  visits.  He  was  like  an 
electric  bell  at  the  call  of  duty,  so  prompt  and  ready. 

It  was  often  quite  amusing  to  see  his  delight  when  he 
would  say,  "I  have  now  settled  all  my  debts,"  and  even 
if  not  a  cent  remained  in  his  house,  he  was  content.  He 
often  said,  we  all  had  as  much  as  we  needed  of  this 
world's  goods,  and  he  was  thankful  for  and  satisfied  with 
his  allotment.  He  took  great  comfort  in  his  children, 
and  it  was  his  pleasure  to  train  and  educate  them  for 
their  life  work. 

Decembeb,  1857. 
Dear  Charlie  :— I  have  received  intelligence  of  the  death  of 
my  only  sister,  Mrs.  Brougher  ;  she  died  in  the  triumph  of  faith, 
exclaiming  "Come,  Lord  Jesus,  come  quickly."  All  the  mem- 
bers of  my  father's  family  are  now  in  heaven  except  myself,  and 
I  hope  by  the  grace  of  God  to  meet  them,  and  then  we  shall 
constitute  a  renewed  family — no  wanderer  lost — a  glorious 
hope.* 

*Mrs.  B  .  lived  in  Mississippi.   Students  of  Pennsylvania 

College  in  1841-46,  may  remember  a  tall  young  Southerner  in  college 
of  this  name.  He  was  the  son  of  the  lady  here  spoken  of,  and  of 
course  the  nephew  of  Mr.  Stork.  There  could  not  have  heen  more 
than  10  years  or  so  difference  in  their  ages.  It  surprises  some  to  hear 
that  a  young  man  all  the  way  from  Mississippi,  very  distant  at  that 
day,  should  come  to  Gettysburg  to  college.  But  his  father  was  one  of 
the  fii-st  subscribers  to  the  Lutheran  Observer  in  its  beginning,  and  al- 
ways cherished  a  warm  interest  in  the  church  and  sent  his  son  all  the 
way  to  Gettysburg  to  school. 


CHAPTER  V. 


PRESIDENT  OF  NEWBERRY  COLLEGE — REASONS  FOR  ACCEPTING 
— LETTERS  TO  HIS  WIFE — HIS  EXPERIENCE  AND  TRIALS — HIS 
HEALTH  FAILS — VISIT  TO  THE  NORTH— LETTERS — RESOLVES 
NOT  TO  RETURN — DR.  STORK  AS  AN  OBSERVER  OF  THE  LORD'S 
DAY — LETTERS. 

PRESIDENCY  OF  NEWBERRY  COLLEGE. 

THERE  was  a  college,  as  well  as  a  theological  semi- 
inary  established  at  Newberry,  South  Carolina.  In 
1858,  neither  was  provided  with  a  President.  Both  insti- 
tutions were  governed  by  the  same  Trustees,  and  they 
earnestly  urged  Dr.  Stork  to  cast  in  his  lot  with  theirs, 
and  allowed  him  the  privilege  of  assuming  either  position, 
deeming  him  well  qualified  for  both.  He  preferred  the 
college  Presidency  and  accepted  the  call.  He  did  not  like 
to  give  up  the  pulpit,  and  it  was  the  universal  opinion  of 
his  friends  that  the  pulpit  was  his  legitimate  place.  They 
knew  he  could  preach,  but  they  doubted  whether  he 
could  manage  a  school.  They  doubted  also  whether  the 
monotony  of  carrying  out  the  old-fashioned  college  cur 
riculum  would  suit  his  tastes,  always  concerned  about  the 
inspiring  and  the  new. 

But  his  health  began  to  be  seriously  impaired  about 
this  time,  and  a  painful  nervousness,  occasioned  by  an  ac- 
cident, induced  him  to  believe  that  a  residence  in  the 
South  would  be  beneficial. 

(65) 


66       THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


The  following  letter  from  a  member  of  his  family  is 
pertinent.  It  may  be  interesting  to  know  the  circum- 
stances which  led  to  Dr.  Stork's  acceptance  of  the  Presi- 
dency of  Newberry  College,  South  Carolina.  His  health 
received  a  severe  shock — the  result  of  an  accident  during 
his  summer  sojourn  in  Chesnut  Hill — which  is  detailed 
in  the  following  letter  : 

LETTER  RELATING  TO  NEWBERRY. 

Philadelphia,  Nov.  5,  1858. 
My  Dear  Charles  :  I  am  happy  to  find  you  so  responsive  to  my 
suggestions  in  relation  to  the  South.  I  feel  a  longing  for  some 
position  in  which  I  could  prosecute  my  studies,  and  at  the  same 
time  be  devoted  to  the  church  and  the  glory  of  God.  Such  a 
position  is  now  offered  to  me,  and  I  feel  disposed  to  accept  it. 
It  will  cost  a  painful  struggle  to  break  the  bonds  that  bind  me 
here.  But  having  my  whole  family  with  me,  I  think  I  should  be 
perfectly  happy  almost  anywhere.  I  expect  to  go  South  next 
week  and  view  the  place  and  property,  and  after  my  return 
will  decide  the  matter.  Let  us  pray,  Charles,  that  God  may 
guide  us  in  this  important  decision.  ******** 
Yours  in  the  bonds  of  fatherly  love,  T.  Stork. 

Nov.  22. 

P.  S. — I  have  been  to  the  South.  I  was  delighted  with  almost 
everything.  The  town  of  Newberry  is  a  very  pleasant  place. 
The  college  building  is  beautiful.  They  will  have  nearly  $50,000 
endowment  and  the  building  paid  for — a  fair  beginning.  They 
expect  a  large  number  of  students.  They  want  an  assistant  in 
the  preparatory  department  by  the  first  of  January.  How  would 
you  like  the  position  ?  You  can  get  it  if  you  want  it.  Let  me 
know  your  feelings  about  going  South.  It  is  a  hard  struggle 
for  me  to  decide.  How  can  I  leave  my  people  ?  If  I  knew  the 
Lord's  will  I  would  not  hesitate  one  moment.  Write  to  us  soon, 
and  give  us  your  opinion.  If  I  go  I  wish  to  have  my  whole 
family.  Newberry  has  the  best  society  in  South  Carolina,  and 
that  is  saying  a  good  deal. 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


67 


Mother  has  been  poorly.  Physicians  think  a  Southern  climate 
would  be  advantageous  to  her.  Write.  Mother  and  Willie  send 
their  love  to  you.  Yours  affectionately,  T.  S. 

LETTERS  TO  HIS  WIFE. 

Newberry,  January  26,  1859. 
Dearest :  I  have  been  trying  to  live  near  to  the  Cross — with 
Jesus  abiding  in  me — I  do  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness. 
That  text,  the  other  morning,  has  subdued  me  to  humility  and 
tears  before  God.  "As  the  Father  hath  loved  me,  so  have  I 
loved  you" — O  the  height  and  depth  of  the  love  of  Jesus — O  that 
I  could  feel  my  soul  filled  with  this  love — Emma,  pray  for  me. 
My  highest  ambition  now  is  to  be  a  true,  devoted  living  servant  of 
Jesus,  that  Christ  may  be  all  in  all.  Last  night  the  Phrena- 
kosmian  Society  of  College  had  an  exhibition  in  College 
chapel.  The  college  was  lit  up — fine  effect — the  chapel  was 
crowded.  If  I  had  not  known  where  I  was,  I  might  have 
supposed  myself  at  Concert  Hall ;  as  fine  a  set  of  ladies  and 
gentlemen  as  I  ever  saw  in  a  Philadelphia  concert.  It  was 
beautiful — performers  all  German.  The  speaking  was  highly 
creditable,  students  all  well  dressed,  and  I  felt  proud  of  New- 
berry College. 

Newberry,  May  24,  1859. 
Charles  tries  to  help  me,  and  when  any  of  the  Professors  are 
unwell  he  takes  their  place .  He  heard  the  Greek  class  for  Mr. 
Brown.  He  was  delighted  with  him.  Mr.  Brown  says  he  can 
recommend  him  fully  for  the  Greek  professorship .  He  will  have 
only  Greek.  He  will  have  time  to  finish  his  theological  studies 
and  preach  on  the  Sabbath.  He  is  very  much  pleased  with 
Newberry. 

Friday  Evening. 
We  had  an  excellent  meeting  on  Wednesday  night.  There 
was  a  good  deal  of  solemnity — O,  that  the  Lord  would  come  into 
our  midst  and  revive  His  work — O,  that  the  many  careless  and 
impenitent  sinners  here  might  be  brought  to  Jesus  ! 


68       THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


Newbebey,  S.  C,  May  9,  1859. 

I  was  14  miles  in  the  country.  Had  an  immense  gathering. 
The  people  everywhere  received  me  with  the  most  cordial  greet- 
ing, and  so  far  as  they  can  help,  will  sustain  our  Institution.  I 
came  across  a. man  settled  in  life — with  four  children — who  feels 
called  to  preach  the  Gospel.  He  is  wealthy,  with  a  splendid 
plantation,  and  everything  around  him  in  the  most  comfortable 
style.  But,  he  says,  he  must  give  up  all  for  Christ,  and  I  be- 
lieve he  will  come  to  our  Institution  and  study  several  years. 
Mr.  Brown  and  I  have  begun  our  protracted  meetings  here. 
Preaching  every  night  this  week,  and  communion  next  Sabbath. 
With  our  other  duties  this  is  pretty  hard  work ;  I  feel  exhausted 
at  night.  Pray  the  Lord  for  our  meeting,  that  some  souls  may 
be  given  to  the  Saviour. 

College  buildings  are  paid  for.  About  $50,000  endowment. 
One  hundred  and  twenty  students — quite  a  number  of  talented 
and  promising  young  men. 

Theological  Seminary. — Four  theological  students  in  actual 
preparation,  four  or  five  in  college  who  are  looking  forward  to 
the  ministry.  The  Seminary  has  an  endowment  of  its  own  of 
$23,000.  I  have  letters  informing  me  of  a  large  number  of  stu- 
dents from  Charleston,  Georgia,  and  Mississippi,  for  next  fall. 

Newberry,  S.  C,  May  31,  1859. 
We  had  our  second  communion  yesterday.     There  was  a 

crowded  church  and  great  solemnity  The  Lord  was 

with  us.  There  are  many  in  this  community  deeply  impressed. 
On  Sunday  morning,  after  church,  I  felt  prompted  to  go  and 
visit  a  very  genteel-looking  colored  man  who  had  been  attending 
all  our  meetings.  I  found  him  concerned  about  his  salvation, 
and  I  spoke  to  him  of  Jesus  and  salvation.  He  was  deeply 
moved,  and  promised  to  givTe  his  entire  attention  to  the  deliver- 
ance of  his  soul  We  now  have  morning  and  evening 

prayers  in  the  chapel.    This  new  feature  in  the  college  gives 

new  interest  to  our  daily  duties  I  am  kept  very  busy 

from  morning  to  night.  I  have  so  many  speeches  and  essays  to 
criticise  that  my  hands  are  full. 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


69 


Newberry,  S.  C,  June  8,  1859. 
Things  proceed  rather  monotonously  here — in  the  outer  world  ; 
the  inner  world  of  thought  and  feeling  is  in  constant  change. 
In  my  daily  studies  novelties  present  themselves  at  every  step. 
In  my  religious  experience  I  trust  that  daily  there  is  to  my  soul 
home  new  phase  of  the  Divine  love.  Here,  after  all,  is  the  only 
true  and  satisfying  portion.  The  man  is  truly  blessed  who  can 
say  from  a  sincere  heart,  and  joyfully:  "Whom  have  I  in  heaven 
but  Thee,  and  there  is  none  upon  earth  that  I  desire  beside 
Thee." 

By  the  way,  Charles  preached  on  Sunday  night,  on  the  text — 
"Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  His  righteousness,  etc." 
It  was  a  beautiful,  I  may  say  masterly,  production.  He  wrote 
it  in  a  very  short  time,  sitting  in  my  study.    Mr.  Brown  is  very 

much  taken  with  Charles  He  has  very  refined  feelings, 

and  seems  devotional — in  reading  the  Scriptures  and  in  secret 
prayer.  He  will  think  for  himself,  and  will  not  be  governed  by 
the  opinions  of  persons  who  are  swayed  by  prejudices. 

Newberry,  S.  C,  June  15,  1859. 

I  believe  this  separation,  though  painful,  will  do  me  good. 
Yes,  it  has  done  me  good,  I  feel  drawn  to  the  Lord — to  my 
Saviour — in  my  loneliness,  and  I  can,  in  some  humble  way,  say 
as  Jesus  :  "And  yet  I  am  not  alone,  for  the  Father  is  with  me." 
I  long  for  that  perfect  love  which  casteth  out  fear  ;  for  that  joy- 
ous assurance — that  abiding  in  Christ — that  conscious  oneness 
with  Christ — that  I  may  always  be  happy,  feeling  that  whether 
living  or  dying  I  am  the  Lord's.  O,  that  I  could  reach  the  spirit- 
ual attitude  of  Paul,  when  he  said  :  "  For  me  to  live  is  Christ, 
and  to  die  is  gain." 

We  had  a  hard  week — I  mean  the  last.  We  preached  every 
night,  and  employed  the  intervals  of  the  day  not  engaged  in  col- 
lege, in  visiting  the  people  and  talking  to  them  on  the  subject 
of  religion.  The  Lord  has  answered  our  prayers  and  blessed 
our  labors.  On  Sabbath  the  church  was  overflowing — the  gal- 
leries, usually  appropriated  to  the  blacks,  were  half  devoted  to 
the  white  people  for  want  of  room  below.  Seventeen  persons 
were  added  to  the  church.  There  is,  I  believe,  cpaite  a  religious 
4* 


70       THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


interest  in  the  community.  Indeed,  we  had  quite  a  Pentecostal 
season.  O  unite  with  me  in  praising  the  Lord  for  His  goodness, 
and  for  His  wonderful  works  to  us  and  this  little  church. 

Next  Sabbath  I  go  down  to  St.  Paul's  to  preach.  We  think 
of  having  another  meeting  here,  and  communion.  You  see  I 
have  enough  to  do ;  yes,  there  is  a  great  work  to  be  done  here. 
Pray  for  me. 

He  finally  concluded  that  his  impaired  health  would 
not  permit  him  to  remain  at  Newberry,  and  he  determined 
to  leave.  His  family  was  not  with  him  at  the  time,  as  the 
following  letters  will  show;  but  whether  they  remained 
in  Newberry  or  were  in  Philadelphia,  does  not  appear  from 
the  copies  of  the  letters  which  were  put  into  my  hands. 
Neither  is  the  date  of  his  leaving  Newberry  given. 

Leesburg,  April  24,  1860. 
Well,  here  I  am  at  last  after  a  weary  and  exhaustive  tour. 
Had  I  known  all  the  discomforts  of  such  a  trip,  I  should  not  have 
left  Newberry  in  such  a  state  of  health.  I  suffered  more  the  last 
week  than  during  the  three  weeks  of  my  previous  sickness.  I 
staid  in  Raleigh  on  Friday  night  and  met  a  friend  from  Phila- 
delphia. Saturday,  I  went  to  Richmond  and  remained  over 
Sabbath.  I  was  not  able  to  go  further  ;  besides,  I  could  not 
have  reached  Washington  without  breaking  in  upon  the  Lord's 
day,  and  you  know  I  am  a  strict  observer  of  that  day.  I  felt 
very  lonely  in  a  city  with  no  acquaintance  or  friends  ;  indeed,  I 
thought  at  one  time  during  the  day,  that  I  must  give  up  to  die, 
my  respiration  was  so  difficult.  I  committed  myself  to  Jesus, 
and  He  brought  me  through.  I  went  to  church  and  heard  a 
sermon  on  the  "love  of  Christ  passing  knowledge."  Oh  !  it  was 
precious  to  me,  the  love  of  Jesus  !  I  could  say  from  my  heart, 
"  Had  I  ten  thousand  hearts,  O,  Lord  Jesus,  I'd  give  them  all  to 
Thee."  In  the  momentary  ecstasy  of  my  feelings,  I  forgot  all 
about  my  poor  lungs,  and  seemed  to  breathe  the  air  of  heaven, 
and  to  see  Jesus  whom  my  soul  lpveth  ;  and  I  felt,  O,  if  I  get  well 
again  how  I  should  like  to  preach : 


REV.  THBOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


71 


"  To  tell  poor  sinners  all  around, 
What  a  dear  Saviour  I  have  found." 

On  Monday,  I  went  on  to  Washington.  My  friends  think  I 
should  not  go  back  to  South  Carolina  this  session.  It  is  not 
likely  I  shall  be  able  to  resume  my  duties  before  next  fall,  I 
feel  much  relieved  and  breathe  more  naturally.  I  slept  well 
and  feel  refreshed.  The  doctor  whom  I  consulted  in  Washing- 
ton said  there  was  a  tendency  to  congestion  of  the  lungs,  but  if 
I  am  careful  it  would  pass  away.  He  says  I  must  avoid  excite- 
ment and  speaking  for  a  time,  as  my  heart  was  implicated  by 
sympathy. 

Leesburg,  April  30,  1860. 
Thanks  to  the  Lord,  He  has  healed  our  diseases.  I  hope  we 
are  both  better.  I  bless  the  Lord  I  can  say  to  you  I  am  better. 
But  since  I  began  taking  medical  advice  here  I  have  been  im- 
proving. My  chest  is  very  weak — my  right  lung  is  laboring 
under  some  difficulty.  The  doctors  all  agree  that  it  is  in  part 
from  the  fall — there  is  a  painful  weakness  in  that  lung,  and  I 
fear  I  shall  never  be  myself  fully  again.  I  have  had  a  serious 
time  on  Friday  night  ;  I  was  in  such  a  nervous  condition, 
trembling,  palpitation  of  heart,  that  I  thought  my  time  was 
come.  I  have  rested  sweetly  in  Jesus.  He  is  my  strength  and 
portion.    O,  what  a  Saviour,  for  life  and  death  ! 

His  allusion  in  the  preceding  letter  to  his  observance 
of  the  Lord's  day  renders  the  insertion  of  the  following, 
from  his  wife,  proper  at  this  place  : 

In  Dr.  Stork's  home-life,  reverence  for  holy  things,  and  a  strict 
regard  for  the  holy  Sabbath,  were  marked.  At  the  family  altar, 
and  at  meals,  his  prayers  were  always  earnest  and  devout ;  levity 
and  trifling  were  instantly  clirtreked,  although  cheerfulness  and 
consider  ateness  for  all  around  him  prevailed.  It  is  remembered 
that  on  a  little  excursion  to  Chesnut  Hill  he,  with  a  few  friends, 
visited  one  of  our  churches.  Some  of  the  lively  sisters  mounted 
into  the  pulpit  and  began  sounding  out  their  voices.  Dr.  Stork 
at  once  testified  his  disapprobation  to  the  irreverence  in  the  holy 


72       THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


place.  The  rebuke  was  never  forgotten.  With  him  the  sanctity 
of  the  Sabbath  was  an  imperative  duty.  He  disliked  to  have 
milk  even  served  on  Sunday,  and  he  endeavored  to  change  the 
custom  and  give  the  milkmen  opportunity  of  attending  church. 
Also  household  work — he  objected  to  have  pavements  swept  off 
on  Sunday,  chiefly  on  account  of  several  families  around  him, 
who  were  careless  in  their  observance  of  the  Day  of  Rest.  It 
was  remarkable  in  one  of  his  genial  and  impulsive  temperament, 
and  the  young  son,  Charles,  would  come  smiling,  and  say  : 
"Father  is  having  a  good  time  with  his  friends — how  they  do 
enjoy  themselves — how  happy  these  ministers  are." 

No  interruption  was  ever  allowed  to  prevent  family  prayers  ; 
no  hurry  of  travel  or  business  caused  a  neglect  of  this  daily  duty. 
It  was  a  powerful  magnet,  drawing  his  children  in  fondest  af- 
fection to  him,  and  indeed  his  entire  household.  As  his  health 
became  more  impaired,  it  was  pitiable  to  see  his  disappointment 
and  his  distress  when  he  was  unable  to  attend  Divine  service. 
It  was  a  heart-break  when  his  physicians  told  him  he  must  give 
up  preaching — that  meant  death  to  his  ardent  soul.  He  was 
most  submissive  and  patient,  and  said:  "Doctor,  my  work  is 
done.''''  His  end  was  peace ;  his  entrance  into  glory  was  almost 
visible,  as  his  countenance  beamed  with  the  glad  transition  as  he 
changed  from  the  mortal  to  the  immortal.  One  of  the  watchers 
said  :  ""He  sees  Jesus" — such  a  light  shone  upon  his  face  as  the 
spirit  left  the  casket. 

It  is  nowhere  stated  when  he  arrived  at  home  from 
the  South,  nor  where  he  spent  the  summer.  The  fol- 
lowing letter  will  show  where  he  was  in  November: 

Lititz,  November  2,  1860. 
I  am  tried.  I  fear  my  friends  think  me  too  fickle — but  I  have 
always  had  to  contend  with  a  teeble  constitution,  and  you 
know  what  a  trial  it  is  to  work  with  mind  and  body,  when 
both  are  languid  and  enfeebled.  I  want  to  work,  and  will  work 
while  I  have  strength.  I  wish  to  spend  and  be  spent  in  the 
service  of  my  Lord  and  Saviour.    I  believe  the  Lord  will  open 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


73 


new  places  where  I  can  win  souls  to  Christ,  and  His  blessing 
still  rest  upon  my  feeble  labors.  The  time  is  short,  and  we 
should  be  willing,  in  self-denial,  to  work  while  it  is  called  to- 
day. Though  often  sad,  have  had  precious  seasons  of  com- 
munion with  God  in  Christ. 

I  had  quite  a  return  of  my  difficulty  of  respiration,  keeping 
me  from  sleep.  It  is  strange  that  the  pain  in  my  back  and  the 
difficulty  of  breathing  come  together.  I  have  suffered  from 
both  this  week.  But  there  is  no  no  use  waiting  to  get  perfectly 
well — I  must  go  to  work.  I  promised  to  be  in  Baltimore  on 
Wednesday  or  Thursday  night  and  preach  for  them  on  Sunday. 
I  think  I  should  prefer  the  Observer  on  your  account  as  well  as 
my  own. 

I  have  just  received  a  letter  from  Brother  Hutter  informing 
me  of  the  departure  of  Dr.  Baker.*  Alas!  such  a  life !  For 
him,  there  is  nothing  to  regret ;  he  was  a  good  and  faithful 
man  ;  his  work  is  done,  and  he  has  gone  to  live  with  Jesus, 

which  is  far  better  This  news  has  somewhat  saddened 

me. 

DR.  STORK  REFUSES  TO  PRINT  A  VOLUME  OF  HIS  SERMONS. 

Among  his  papers  I  found  the  following  scrap  faintly 

written  in  pencil  : 

A  minister  from  the  interior  of  the  State  wishes  to  know 
whether  I  could  not  publish  a  volume  of  my  sermons. 

1.  I  say  emphatically,  No  !  I  have  scarcely  a  single  sermon 
that  I  could  publish  without  re-writing.  I  never  wrote  my  ser- 
mons fully  out.  I  left  open  places  for  extempore  speaking  and 
illustrations. 

2.  I  think  my  correspondent  is  mistaken  about  the  present 
good  they  might  accomplish.  It  is  one  thing  to  hear  a  sermon 
from  the  pulpit,  and  another  to  read  it.  When  you  take  away 
the  man,  the  voice,  the  occasion,  the  congregation,  there  may 
not  be  much  left,  at  least  not  enougli  to  justify  putting  it  in 


*For  many  years  a  Lutheran  minister  in  Lancaster,  but  removed  to 
Philadelphia,  where  he  died  in  1860. 


74       THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 

print.  I  remember  that  once  a  minister  asked  me  to  let  him 
read  a  sermon  which  I  had  preached  in  his  presence.  In  return- 
ing it  he  said  :  "  I  thought  it  was  a  very  fine  sermon  when  I  heard 
it,  but  I  find  it  is  not  much  after  all." 

3.  I  have  now  a  pulpit  to  fill  in  our  Monthly,*  and  all  my  time 
is  taken  up  in  writing  and  gathering  material  for  that  journal. 

I  am  sorry  that  I  must  differ  from  the  brother,  and  hope  he 
will  subscribe  for  the  Monthly  and  circulate  it  among  his  peo- 
ple, instead  of  wishing  a  volume  of  my  sermons. 

A  friend  of  Dr.  Stork's  requests  me  to  insert  the  fol- 
lowing fact :  "  The  Doctor  once  preached  a  sermon  on 
the  authenticity  and  evidence  of  the  Bible,  and  the  house 
was  crowded  by  people  from  different  churches,  who  were 
so  well  pleased  that  many  of  my  Scotch  Presbyterian 
friends  asked  to  have  it  repeated.  With  many  other  in- 
terested parties  we  prevailed  on  him,  and  it  was  repeated 
with  more  additional  evidence,  and  the  house  was  jammed." 

Another  little  incident  we  recall  to  mind :  The  Doc- 
tor happened  to  meet  one  of  his  charge  who  seemed  to 
be  very  much  excited  about  some  incident  that  troubled 
him,  and  in  his  excitement  used  some  naughty  words, 
when  the  doctor  kindly  remonstrated  with  him  for  giving 
way  to  his  temper.  The  man  turned  and  looked  at  the 
Doctor,  "  Why,"  said  he,  "  Dr.  Stork,  I  have  controlled 
more  temper  in  one  week  than  you  have  controlled  in 
your  life  time.  Why,  Doctor,  you  never  had  a  temper 
to  control." 


*He  was  editor  of  the  Lutheran  Home  Journal.— J.  G.  M. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


REMOVAL  TO  BALTIMORE — HISTORY  OF  ST.  MARK'S — LETTER — 
STATE  OF  HIS  HEALTH — HIS  SON  CHARLES  HIS  ASSISTANT — 
LETTER  OF  THE  COUNCIL — LETTERS — RESIGNATION — RETIRES 
TO  PHILADELPHIA — MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE — CLOSE  OF  HIS 
PASTORAL  WORK — LETTERS. 

REMOVAL  TO  BALTIMORE  IN  1860. 

THE  First  English  Lutheran  church  in  Baltimore,  then 
located  in  Lexington  street,  between  Howard  and 
Park,  became  vacant  by  the  resignation  of  the  pastor, 
J.  G.  Morris,  in  June,  1860.  Immediate  steps  were 
taken  to  elect  a  successor,  and  the  two  principal  candi- 
dates were  Dr.  Stork,  of  Philadelphia,  and  Dr.  McCron, 
of  the  Third  Lutheran  church,  on  Monument  street, 
Baltimore.  Twenty-two  ballotings  were  held  before 
either  received  a  constitutional  majority  ;  but  after  a  long 
and  rather  excited  struggle,  Dr.  McCron  was  elected  as 
a  temporary  supply  by  a  small  majority. 

One  hundred  and  one  of  the  members  were  dissatisfied 
with  this  result  and  withdrew,  upon  which  Dr.  McCron 
was  chosen  permanent  pastor  by  those  wrho  remained. 

On  October  23,  1860,  those  who  separated  themselves 
from  the  First  church  held  a  meeting  in  the  lecture 
room  of  the  Second  Lutheran  church  on  Lombard  street, 
when  one  hundred  and  thirteen  persons  signed  a  paper 
declaring  their  purpose  to  unite  in  the  organization  of  a 
new  English  Lutheran  church. 

(75) 


76       THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


A  provisional  Church  Council  was  appointed,  and  also 
a  committee  to  invite  the  Rev.  Dr.  Stork  to  become 
pastor  of  the  new  organization  about  to  be  formed. 

After  the  adjournment  of  ihe  meeting,  the  committee 
met  at  the  house  of  Dr.  Kemp,  when  it  was  determined 
that  there  should  be  no  delay  in  perfecting  the  new  enter- 
prise, and  measures  were  taken  to  secure  a  place  of  wor- 
ship immediately.  In  a  few  days  thereafter,  the  Com- 
mittee succeeded  in  renting  the  Third  Presbyterian 
church  in  Eutaw  street.  The  Sunday  morning  and 
Wednesday  evening  service  was  determined  to  be  a  joint 
one  between  the  Lutherans  and  Presbyterians.  The 
Sunday  evening  was  to  be  exclusively  Lutheran,  and  the 
lecture  room  on  Sunday  afternoons  was  free  for  the 
Lutheran  Sunday-school. 

Under  this  arrangement,  the  first  service  of  the  con- 
gregation was  held  on  Sunday  evening,  November  4, 
1860.  Rev.  Dr.  Morris,  late  pastor  of  the  First  church, 
preached  on  Gen.  xxiv.  56 — Hinder  me  not,  seeing  the 
Lord  hath  prospered  my  way. 

Dr.  Stork  was  notified  of  his  unanimous  election 
November,  1860,  and  was  urgently  requested  to  accept 
it.  To  the  unspeakable  gratification  of  all  the  members, 
he  gave  his  consent,  and  he  took  charge  as  pastor  on 
December  1,  1860. 

The  Presbyterian  church  on  Eutaw  street  was  bought 
for  $10,500,  and  full  possession  of  it  was  taken  by  the 
congregation  in  February,  1861. 

Dr.  Stork  now  entered  upon  a  new  field  of  labor,  and 
one  of  peculiar  difficulty  and  uncertain  success.  True, 


REV.  THEOPIIILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


77 


he  had  a  faithful  and  devoted  membership  of  over  one 
hundred,  but  they  had  just  purchased  a  house  of  worship 
at  a  sum  which  would  perhaps  be  a  burden  for  years — it 
required  a  considerable  outlay  to  renovate  it,  and  super- 
added to  this  were  the  support  of  the  minister  and  the 
other  expenses  of  maintaining  the  worship. 

But  the  people  had  full  confidence  in  the  ability  and 
piety  of  their  pastor,  and  in  reliance  upon  God,  they 
prayerfully  and  resolutely  engaged  in  the  work. 

Dr.  Stork  fully  answered  their  expectations,  and 
the  congregation  gradually  grew.  Their  church  council 
were  men  of  energy  and  prudence ;  the  ladies  of  the 
church  were  active  and  persevering ;  their  Sunday-school, 
under  the  efficient  superintendence  of  the  veteran  Dr. 
Kemp  ;  the  sympathy  of  the  Second  and  Third  churches ; 
the  cordial  good  will  of  other  evangelical  congregations 
in  the  city,  all  cheered  this  new  organization  with  the 
hope  of  ultimate  success. 

The  pastor  soon  secured  the  confidence  of  many  of  the 
city  ministers,  with  whom  he  cooperated  in  every  good 
work.  His  amiable  disposition,  refined  manners  and 
godly  life  gained  him  friends  everywhere,  and  he  soon 
attained  a  high  rank  among  all  who  had  the  good  fortune 
to  know  him.  He  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  boards  of 
management  of  various  religious  societies,  and  showed  a 
lively  interest  in  their  work.  He  was  at  different  times 
invited  to  address  these  societies  at  their  anniversary 
meetings. 

The  following  letter  belongs  to  this  period : 


78       THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


Baltimore,  November  21,  1861. 

I  have  been  very  happy  for  the  last  three  or  four  days.  I 
think  after  a  great  spiritual  conflict — after  much  prayer — I  am 
now  peacefully  sitting  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  resigned  to  His  will, 
ready  to  suffer  for  His  sake,  or  to  be  used  in  any  way  for  His 
glory.  I  feel  very  happy  in  the  thought  that  God  is  chastening 
me,  and  is  determined  to  make  me  more  humble  and  holy.  He 
is  touching  me  in  some  of  my  weak  points  (such  as  ambition, 
love  of  distinction),  and  taking  away  the  occasions  of  pride  and 
self-glory,  and  making  me  to  glory  only  in  Christ.  O,  if  only 
this  results  from  my  trials -I  will  praise  the  Lord.  For  I  do 
feel  a  yearning  to  be  holy — to  be  entirely  devoted  to  the  Lord — 
and  to  rejoice  in  hope  of  the  glory  of  God.  If  only  I  can  be 
settled,  I  shall  be  truly  happy.  Now  that  I  am  fully  resigned 
to  the  Lord,  I  feel  that  He  will  bless  us.    Our  church  is  getting 

on  well  I  see  some  signs  of  good — here  and  there  the 

truth  is  having  effect,  and  I  think  we  shall  have  some  souls  for 
Christ.  Glory  to  God  ! 

LETTER  TO  HIS  COUNCIL — CHARLES,  HIS  ASSISTANT. 

His  health  suffered  from  his  arduous  labors  and  anxi- 
eties, and  on  February  21,  1862,  he  thus  wrote  to  the 
council : 

Owing  to  a  chronic  affection  of  my  throat  and  great  nervous 
excitability,  I  am  usually  exhausted  by  one  service  on  the  Sab- 
bath.   The  second  is  generally  arduous  and  prostrating. 

From  my  past  experience,  I  am  led  to  believe  that  I  ought 
not  to  preach  more  than  once  on  the  Sabbath,  and  that  a  per- 
sistence in  two  services  will  shorten  the  period  of  my  ministerial 
activity.  In  view  of  these  facts,  I  desire  an  assistant.  At 
present,  I  have  become  assistant  editor  of  the  Lutheran  Observe?*, 
partly  with  the  view  of  securing  an  assistant  without  any  addi- 
tional expense  to  the  church.  I  shall  thus  be  able  to  serve  the 
church  in  an  extension  of  her  usefulness  and  the  cause  of  truth 
and  righteousness.    And  if  the  proposed  arrangement  meets 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


79 


with  your  approbation,  it  will  be  a  grand  relief  to  my  mind,  as 
well  as  enable  me,  I  believe,  to  prolong  my  active  service  in  the 
church  and  also  to  be  useful  through  the  instrumentality  of  the 
religious  press.  I  submit  the  matter  to  your  prayerful  consid- 
eration, hoping  that  you  will  act  deliberately,  and  do  what  in 
your  honest  judgment  will  promote  the  best  interests  of  the 
church. 

This  proposition  was  acceded  to,  and  at  the  same  meet- 
ing the  Rev.  Charles  A.  Stork  was  nominated  for  the 
position  and  unanimously  approved.  It  was  submitted 
to  a  congregational  meeting  on  February  26,  1862,  and 
ratified  by  all  present.  It  was  understood  that  Dr. 
Stork  generously  agreed  to  pay  the  salary  of  his  assistant 
out  of  his  own  funds. 

HIS  RESIGNATION. 

For  three  years  this  joint  pastorship  was  happily  and 
successfully  maintained,  when  finally  Dr.  Stork  was  re- 
luctantly compelled  to  resign  his  position,  which  he  did 
in  a  very  touching  letter  on  May  25,  1865. 

Among  other  things,  he  says  to  the  Council: 

I  can  assure  you  that  this  step  has  cost  me  much  painful  and 
tearful  regret,  for  my  connection  with  the  church  has  been  one 
of  almost  unmingled  pleasure  and  satisfaction. 

I  have  received  from  the  people  the  most  gratifying  tokens 
of  confidence  and  affection.  I  cannot  recall  a  single  instance  of 
unkindness  to  shade  the  pleasant  memories  of  the  last  five  years. 
We  have  labored  together  in  mutual  sympathy  and  affection  in 
the  building  up  of  the  church  and  the  extension  of  the  Redeem- 
er's kingdom,  and  the  Lord  has  crowned  our  united  labors  with 
His  richest  blessing.  I  shall  ever  hold  the  people  of  St.  Mark's 
in  grateful  remembrance,  and  cherish  my  association  with  the 
church  among  the  most  pleasant  memories  of  the  past. 


80       THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


From  this  expression  of  my  feelings,  you  may  easily  sup- 
pose that  this  step  is  taken  with  great  reluctance  and  sincere 
sorrow.  It  has  been  taken  from  considerations  of  health ;  my 
inability  to  assume  the  entire  labors  of  the  charge,  and  my  con- 
viction that  the  best  and  permanent  interests  of  the  church  will 

be  promoted  by  the  undivided  labors  of  one  pastor  

Allow  me  to  assure  the  council  that  I  shall  always  feel  the  deep- 
est interest  in  the  prosperity  of  St.  Mark's  

The  feelings  here  expressed  by  Dr.  Stork  were  heartily 
reciprocated  by  the  entire  congregation,  and  the  parting 
was  mutually  sad.  But  the  acceptance  of  the  resignation 
was  unavoidable,  for  none  of  the  causes  given  for  this 
course  by  the  pastor  could  be  removed.  Complete  cessation 
from  all  pastoral  work,  especially  owing  to  his  increas- 
ingly distressing  bronchial  affection,  was  absolutely  essen- 
tial to  the  preservation  of  his  life. 

If  there  had  been  no  prospect  of  an  acceptable  imme- 
diate successor,  the  difficulty  and  the  embarrassment  of 
the  separation  would  have  been  enhanced,  but  his  accom- 
plished and  popular  son,  Charles,  was  his  assistant,  and 
ready  to  assume  all  the  duties  so  ably  and  satisfactorily 
performed  by  his  distinguished  father. 

The  son  was  immediately  nominated  by  the  council, 
which  was  unanimously  ratified  at  a  congregational  meet- 
ing held  on  June  14th,  1865. 

The  reply  of  the  council  to  Dr.  Stork's  letter  of  resig- 
nation is  here  inserted  in  part : 

Baltimore,  July  5,  18<i5. 
Rev.  and  Dear  iSir :  Your  resignation  as  pastor  of  St.  Mark's 
.  .  .  tendered  a  few  weeks  since,  having  gone  into  effect  on  the 
1st  instant,  the  Church  Council,  in  behalf  of  those  whom  it  is 
their  honor  and  pleasure  to  represent,  beg  leave  to  express  to 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


81 


you  their  profound  regret  in  sundering  a  tie  so  endearing  as  that 
which  has  bound  us  together  for  nearly  five  years  as  pastor  and 
people.  Our  hearts  are  too  full  to  calmly  sit  down  and  call  up 
in  memory  the  many  pleasing  incidents  of  the  past — your  min- 
istrations in  the  pulpit  every  Lord's  day,  at  the  weekly  meeting, 
in  the  schools  of  the  church,  at  our  homes,  in  every-day  life — 
without  feeling  overwhelmed  and  heart-sick  in  view  of  the  sepa- 
ration. 

We  can  only  reconcile  ourselves  to  the  event  by  accepting  it  as 
the  ordering  of  the  Great  Disposer  of  all  things,  and  humbly 
pray  that  it  may  be  sanctified  to  your  good  and  ours. 

We  separate  as  we  came  together,  of  one  mind  and  one  heart, 
determined  to  press  on  vigorously  and  trustingly  with  our  new 
pastor  in  building  up  St.  Mark's,  praying  that  the  Master  will 
bestow  upon  his  labors  the  same  blessing  and  success  which  He 
vouchsafed  to  his  predecessor. 

You  bear  away  with  you  our  most  ardent  wishes  for  your  own 
and  your  family's  welfare  ;  and  if,  in  the  inscrutable  ways  of  Him 
who  doeth  all  things  well,  we  should  be  destined  to  meet  no 
more,  God  grant  that  Heaven  may  witness  our  reunion  ! 

RETIRES  TO  PHILADELPHIA. 

Dr.  Stork  retired  to  Philadelphia,  the  home  of  his  wife, 
where  he  had  numerous  friends,  his  former  parishioners, 
and  where  he  could  pursue  his  literary  labors  without  in- 
terruption. It  was  not  necessary  for  him  to  work  for  a 
livelihood,  so  that  he  had  abundant  leisure  to  follow  his 
own  inclinations.  But  he  could  not  long  remain  inactive 
■ — he  always  cherished  schemes  of  church  progress — he 
was  out  of  his  element  when  he  had  no  religious  enter- 
prise on  hand — his  nervous  temperament  demanded  in- 
cessant action.  He  was  not  the  man  who  could  devote 
his  whole  attention  to  books  or  retirement  of  any  charac- 
ter, but  he  must  be  stirring,  or  he  vould  lapse  into  mel- 
ancholy. 


82       TEE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


He  conceived  the  project  of  establishing  a  new  congre- 
gation in  the  vicinity  of  Broad  and  Arch  streets.  A  hall 
was  rented,  and  soon  a  small  assembly  gathered  around 
him,  which  he  organized  into  a  church,  which  he  called 
St.  Andrew's,  on  New  Year  day,  1865.  The  increase  was 
sufficient  to  authorize  the  purschase  of  a  lot  of  ground, 
which  is  now  occupied  by  Dr.  Seiss'  church  of  the  Holy 
Communion.  Some  progress  was  made  towards  its  erec- 
tion, but  difficulties  occurred  concerning  the  title  to  the 
property,  and  the  enterprise  was  abandoned.  It  is  doubt- 
ful whether,  in  the  condition  of  his  health,  he  would  have 
been  able  to  endure  the  labors,  anxieties  and  vexations 
necessarily  growing  out  of  an  undertaking  of  the  dimen- 
sions contemplated.  It  was  a  great  relief  when  he  was 
compelled  to  abandon  it.  It  would  have  overtaxed  his 
strength  and  shortened  his  days. 

Dr.  F.  W.  Conrad  was  at  that  time  pastor  of  the 
Church  of  the  Messiah,  and  Dr.  Stork  and  his  members 
of  St.  Andrew's  were  invited  by  the  people  of  the  Mes- 
siah Mission  to  unite  with  them,  under  the  joint  pastoral 
care  of  these  two  men.  This  arrangement  continued  for 
about  a  year,  but  it  was  found  to  be  inexpedient.  Both 
men  were  engaged  in  editorial  and  other  literary  pursuits, 
so  that  active  pastoral  work,  so  essential  to  a  mission,  was 
out  of  the  question,  and  Dr.  Stork  retired  in  1871 ; — and 
here  end  the  pastoral  labors  of  this  earnest  and  warm- 
hearted servant  of  God,  which  were  prosecuted  with  suc- 
cess for  thirty-six  years. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


HIS  EDITORIAL  AND  LITERARY  CAREER — DEATH  AND  BURIAL. 

IN  1855,  he  and  Rev.  C.  A.  Smith  were  editors  of  a 
monthly  periodical  which  was  called  The  Home  Jour- 
nal. It  was  intended  for  plain  family  reading,  and  its 
pages  sparkled  with  gems  furnished  from  the  fertile  im- 
agination of  Dr.  Stork ;  but  he  was  not  the  man  to  be 
perplexed  by  the  drudgery  of  business  or  the  dull  routine 
of  office  duties.  He  soon  grew  weary  of  any  annoying 
service  outside  of  the  pulpit,  and  the  monotonous  yet 
compulsory  work  of  furnishing  at  a  certain  time  a  specific 
quantity  of  literary  matter,  was  irksome.  If  he  could 
have  remained  in  his  study  and  have  been  perfectly  free 
to  write  when  he  felt  the  inspiration,  and  had  not  been 
annoyed  by  business  calls  or  engagements,  he  would  have 
dashed  off  the  most  charming  articles  for  his  magazine  to 
any  extent  desired.    The  publication  was  suspended. 

About  this  time  the  Lutheran  Observer  fell  into  in- 
competent hands,  and  it  was  conducted  in  so  slovenly  a 
manner  that  the  patronage  declined  alarmingly.  Rev. 
Dr.  B.  Kurtz,  who  had  temporarily  retired  from  the 
editorship,  observing  this  disheartening  condition  of 
things,  and  apprehending  that  his  old  favorite,  which  he 
he  had  labored  so  long  and  so  hard  to  sustain,  would 
suffer  irrecoverably  until  he  went  to  the  rescue,  resumed 
the  management  of  the  paper  in  1861,  as  he  said  to  me, 

(83) 


84       THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 

"to  save  it  from  ruin."  To  give  it  greater  efficiency, 
and  to  enliven  its  columns  with  rich  and  instructive 
articles,  he  entered  upon  an  engagement  with  Dr.  Stork 
as  assistant  editor.  After  the  paper  had  been  reestab- 
lished upon  a  solid  basis  and  the  confidence  of  its  patrons 
had  been  re-secured  and  the  number  increased,  Drs.  Stork 
and  Diehl  purchased  the  Observer  in  1862,  and  they  sold 
one-third  interest  to  Dr.  Conrad.  Dr.  Stork  being  resi- 
dent editor  in  Baltimore,  had  a  large  share  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  literary  department,  and  this  relation  he 
sustained  until  his  removal  from  Baltimore  in  1865. 

When  the  Observer  was  transferred  to  Philadelphia, 
and  it  became  the  property  of  the  Lutheran  Observer 
Association,  on  New-Year  day,  1867,  Dr.  Stork  once 
more  became  a  member  of  the  editorial  staff,  a  position 
which  he  held  for  several  years,  retiring  in  July,  1869. 

Four  years  after,  near  the  close  of  1873,  he  issued  a 
prospectus  for  a  family  magazine,  and  published  the  first 
number  with  the  title  of  Lutheran  Home  Monthly,  in 
January,  1874.  After  issuing  three  additional  numbers, 
he  was  taken  suddenly  ill,  and  never  recovered. 

Dr.  Stork  was  the  author  of  nine  publications  in  book 
form,  and  of  two  small  works  in  pamphlet  form.  A  vol- 
ume of  his  sermons,  edited  by  his  sons,  was  published  two 
years  after  his  death.  His  writings  are  chiefly  on  Bibli- 
cal subjects.  He  reveals  in  them  his  devout  and  loving 
heart,  a  wide  range  of  reading,  and  fine  aesthetic  talent. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  his  works  in  the  order  of 
their  publication : 

1.  The  Children  of  the  New  Testament,  1854,  pp.  185. 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


85 


2.  Luther's  Christmas  Tree,  1855,  pp.  32. 

3.  Jesus  in  the  Temple,  1856,  pp.  31. 

4.  Home  Scenes  in  the  New  Testament,  1857,  pp.  296. 

5.  Luther  at  Home,  1871,  pp.  148. 

6.  The  Unseen  World,  1871,  pp.  148. 

7.  Luther  and  the  Bible,  1873,  pp.  208. 

8.  Afternoon,  1874,  pp.  360. 

9.  Sermons,  1876,  pp.  339. 

There  were  besides,  published  from  his  pen,  two  Hymns 
for  the  Soldier,  1867  ;  sermon  on  Maternal  Responsibil- 
ity, 1858. 

Numerous  other  articles  for  the  church  papers  and  the 
Review  were  contributed  by  him. 

The  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was  conferred  on  him 
by  Pennsylvania  College  in  1851. 

Dr.  Stork  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife  has  been 
previously  mentioned.  She  died  in  Germantown  in 
August.  1846.  Two  years  after,  he  married  Miss  Emma 
Baker,  of  Philadelphia,  who  survives  him,  and  is  the 
mother  of  his  youngest  son,  Theophilus  Baker  Stork. 
His  children  by  the  first  wife  were  William  L.  Stork, 
now  of  Baltimore,  and  Rev.  Dr.  Charles  A.  Stork,  de- 
ceased. 

DEATH,  BURIAL  AND  MEMORIAL  EULOGIES. 

Dr.  Stork  died  in  Philadelphia  on  Saturday,  March 
28th,  1874.  The  following  account  of  his  funeral  is 
taken  from  the  Lutheran  Observer  : 

"Tuesday,  the  31st of  March, was  set  apart  for  convey- 
ing his  mortal  remains  to  the  tomb,  and  the  occasion  was 
5 


86       THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 

unspeakably  impressive.  The  funeral  was  appointed  for 
11  o'clock  in  the  morning,  at  the  residence  of  the  deceased. 
As  the  hour  approached,  large  numbers  of  relatives, 
friends  and  acquaintances  began  to  arrive,  and  after  tak- 
ing a  last  and  tearful  look  at  the  form  of  him  whom  in 
life  they  cherished  so  tenderly,  distributed  themselves 
through  the  large  mansion  until  all  its  apartments  were 
filled  with  sorrowing  relatives  and  mourning  friends,  who 
came  to  manifest  their  sympathy  with  the  bereaved,  and 
their  respect  and  esteem  for  the  departed. 

"About  mid-day  the  funeral  services  were  commenced 
with  the  singing  of  a  beautiful  hymn  in  soft  and  plaintive 
notes  by  the  choir  of  St.  Matthew's  church,  after  which 
Dr.  L.  E.  Albert,  of  Germantown,  read  appropriate  pas- 
sages from  the  sacred  Scriptures.  Dr.  W.  M.  Baum 
then  delivered  a  touching  tribute  to  the  memory  of  the 
deceased,  setting  forth  in  fitting  terms  the  character, 
leading  events  and  labors  of  his  life.  He  was  followed 
by  Dr.  J.  G.  Butler,  of  Washington,  D.  C,  who,  in  a 
brief  and  tender  impromptu  address,  bore  testimony  to 
his  worth,  devotion  and  usefulness.  Dr.  C.  P.  Krauth, 
of  this  city,  offered  an  impressive  prayer,  commending  the 
stricken  widow  and  the  fatherless  children  to  the  guardian 
care  of  their  covenant-keeping  Father  in  heaven. 

"A  double  procession  in  carriages  and  on  foot  was  then 
formed,  and  proceededed  to  the  old  cemetery  of  St. 
John's  Lutheran  congregation,  near  the  church,  on  Race 
between  Fourth  and  Fifth  streets,  where  the  body,  in 
charge  of  a  committee  from  St.  Matthew's  church,  was 
deposited  in  the  vault  of  the  Baker  family,  with  the  rela- 


REV.  THEOPHILTJS  STORK,  D.  D. 


87 


tives  of  his  wife.  Dr.  J.  A.  Seiss,  the  pastor  of  St. 
John's  church,  impressively  read  the  burial  services. 
Then  the  benediction  was  pronounced,  and  the  mourners 
and  the  multitude,  who  had  followed  a  loving  husband, 
a  fond  father  and  a  dear  relative,  a  Christian  brother,  a 
devoted  friend  and  a  faithful  pastor,  to  his  final  resting 
place,  returned  sadly  and  thoughtfully  to  their  homes. 

u  The  obsequies  of  Dr.  Stork  are  worthy  of  more  than  a 
mere  passing  notice.  He  had  lived  in  this  city  a  quarter 
of  a  century,  and  held  the  pastoral  relation  in  four 
different  congregations,  at  different  periods,  for  more  than 
twenty  years.  The  seals  of  his  ministry  are  counted  by 
hundreds,  and  those  who  were  edified  by  his  discourses 
and  writings  by  thousands.  His  spiritual  children,  his 
former  parishioners,  his  ministerial  brethren  and  his  per- 
sonal friends  came  together  with  one  mind  and  one  heart. 
They  bore  a  united  testimony  to  his  artlessness,  sim- 
plicity and  tenderness  as  a  Christian  man,  and  to  his 
earnestness,  ability  and  fidelity  as  a  pastor  and  minister; 
and  while  they  recalled  his  spiritual  graces,  they  cast  the 
mantle  of  charity  over  his  human  imperfections.  They 
loved  him  with  the  most  tender  and  ardent  affection. 
The  heart-strings  of  all  present  were  so  tuned  with 
sympathy,  that  they  need  but  be  touched  by  the  truths 
read  from  the  Scriptures,  or  the  words  uttered  by  the 
preacher,  or  the  petitions  offered  in  prayer,  or  the  senti- 
ments breathed  in  song,  to  give  a  response  in  sighs  and 
tears.  When  6  Jesus  wept'  at  the  grave  of  Lazarus, 
the  Jews  said :  1  Behold  how  he  loved  him.'  By  a 
similar  interpretation  of  the  tears  shed  around  the  bier  of 


88 


THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


Dr.  Stork,  we  may  also  exclaim:  'Behold  how  they 
loved  him !' 

"  Death  levels  all  human  distinctions"  and  unites  all 
again  with  their  kindred  dust.  Death  has  also  a  sweet 
harmonizing  influence  upon  the  living.  We  were  struck 
with  this  at  the  funeral  of  Dr.  Stork.  There  were 
seventeen  Lutheran  clergymen  present,  seven  of  whom, 
viz.,  Drs.  Krauth,  Seiss,  C.  F.  Schaeffer,  C.  W.  Schaeffer, 
and  Revs.  Bickel,  Geissenhainer  and  Kunkleman,  be- 
long to  the  General  Council;  and  ten,  viz.,  Drs. 
Morris,  Butler,  Albert,  Baum  and  Conrad,  and  Revs. 
Dimm,  Sheeleigh,  Holman,  Yeiser  and  Steek,  belong 
to  the  General  Synod.  Of  those  who  officiated,  two 
pertained  to  the  former  and  three  to  the  latter  body. 
Dr.  Krauth  had  succeeded  Dr.  Stork  both  as  pastor  at 
Winchester  and  at  St.  Mark's,  Philadelphia.  Dr.  Baum 
had  succeeded  him  as  pastor  in  Winchester  and  in  St. 
Matthew's,  in  this  city.  Rev.  Kunkleman  succeeded  him 
at  St.  Mark's,  Philadelphia ;  his  own  son  Charles  A.  fol- 
lowed him  in  St.  Mark's,  Baltimore.  Dr.  Conrad  was 
associated  with  him  as  editor  in  Baltimore,  and  as  both 
editor  and  pastor  in  Philadelphia.  All  of  them  were 
once  united  in  one  general  ecclesiastical  body ;  and 
although  that  body  was  subsequently  divided  and  they 
became  ecclesiastically  separated,  they  alike  responded 
to  the  call  of  death  and  gathered  around  the  bier  of  their 
departed  classmate,  and  predecessor,  and  associate,  and 
sy nodical  colleague,  and  ministerial  brother,  and  buried 
him  in  the  unity  of  4  the  faith  once  delivered  to  the 
saints.' 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


89 


"  Although  a  Lutheran,  Dr.  Stork  was  not  a  sectarian, 
but  a  catholic  Christian.  He  not  only  acknowledged  the 
orthodoxy  of  the  evangelical  Protestant  denominations, 
but  he  practiced  altar  and  pulpit  fellowship  with  them. 
He  took  part  in  the  general  ecclesiastical  movements  of 
this  city,  was  at  home  in  union  meetings,  and  was  widely 
known  and  universally  esteemed  by  the  ministers  and 
members  of  other  denominations,  many  of  whom  attended 
his  funeral,  and  united  their  testimony  to  his  Christian 
charity  and  catholic  spirit,  with  that  borne  by  the  mem- 
bers of  his  own  household  of  faith. 

"All  present  at  these  obsequies  felt  that  '  it  is  better  to 
go  to  the  house  of  mourning  than  to  the  house  of  feasting/ 
;A11  things  are  yours,'  says  Paul — '  death'  as  well  as 
4  life.'  Life  to  consecrate  to  Christ — death  to  ponder  and 
improve  for  Christ.  From  that  coffin,  as  his  pulpit,  death 
proclaimed  that  it  is  appointed  unto  men  once  to  die  ; 
that  they  know  neither  the  day  nor  the  hour  when  the 
summons  to  appear  before  God  shall  come ;  and  that  it 
becometh  all  men  to  be  ready  to  depart  and  be  with 
Christ.  On  that  solemn  occasion,  memory  recalled  many 
endearing  associations  and  precious  recollections  of  the 
departed — many  deeds  of  charity  and  mercy,  parting 
counsels,  last  farewells,  and  dying  testimonies  to  the  sup- 
porting grace  and  presence  of  Jesus,  unutterable  in  words, 
but  beaming  from  his  eye,  and  lighting  up  his  face  with 
joy,  when  already  'quite  on  the  verge  of  heaven.'  All 
present  on  that  impressive  occasion  realized  that  4  the 
memory  of  the  just  is  blessed.'  And  the  Scriptural  ad- 
monition to  all  is:  6  Remember  them  *   *   *   who  have 


90      THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 

spoken  unto  you  the  Word  of  God ;  whose  faith  follow, 
considering  the  end  of  their  conversation.'  '  They  that 
turn  many  to  righteousness  shall  shine  as  the  brightness 
of  the  firmament,  and  as  the  stars  forever  and  ever.' 
4  Work  while  it  is  called  to-day,  for  the  night  cometh 
wherein  no  man  can  work.'  'Be  thou  faithful  unto  death, 
and  I  will  give  thee  the  crown  of  life.'  " 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


REMINISCENCES — MEMORIALS — TRIBUTES  OF  RESPECT. 

Lewis  L.  Houpt  writes : 

Philadelphia,  March,  1885. 
Dr.  Stork's  peculiar  attraction  was  his  earnestness  and  sincer- 
ity. He  was  very  eloquent  at  times,  and  bis  discourses  were 
beautifully  illustrated  and  emphatically  delivered.  He  was  spe- 
cially gifted  in  prayer,  and  all  were  drawn  to  him  by  his  affec- 
tionate manner,  his  child-like  simplicity,  and  humble  Christian 
character.  There  was  a  personal  magnetism  about  him  tbat 
won  all  hearts  alike,  and  people  of  all  churches  gladly  sat  under 
his  ministry,  and  listened  to  the  Word  from  his  lips.  They 
came  and  attended  and  connected  themselves  not  so  much  with 
St.  Mark's  Lutheran  church  as  with  Dr.  Stork's  church,  by 
which  name  it  was  universally  known  in  his  day. 

REV.  DR.  C.  W.  SCHAEFFER. 

Germantown,  March  25,  1885. 

My  relations  to  Dr.  Stork  were  such  as  enable  me  to  speak  of 
him  only  in  general  terms.  He  entered  the  Theological  Semi- 
nary at  Gettysburg  only  after  I  had  left  it ;  so  that  I  saw  very 
little  of  him  there ;  yet  knew  him,  all  along,  as  occupying  a 
position  of  prominence,  for  the  excellence  of  his  character  and 
the  value  of  his  talents  and  attainments,  as  a  student  of  Penn- 
sylvania College. 

Upon  his  coming  to  Philadelphia,  as  pastor  of  St.  Matthew's, 
he  took  an  active  part  in  the  organizing  of  the  East  Pennsylvania 
Synod.  Although  my  personal  relations  with  all  the  early  mem- 
bers of  that  Synod  were  quite  intimate  and  perfectly  friendly, 
yet  the  fact  of  our  belonging  to  different  synods  resulted  in  my 
having  very  little  official  intercourse  with  Dr.  Stork. 

(91) 


92       THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


Yet,  I  may  say  that  I  knew  him  well,  having  often  met  him 
in  private  life,  and,  very  often,  in  the  prosecution  of  the  arduous 
and  self-denying  business  which  continued  for  years,  and  which 
resulted  in  the  establishment  of  the  "  Board  of  Publication"  at 
42  1ST.  Ninth  street,  Philadelphia.  I  may  speak  moderately,  and 
yet  come  behind  none,  in  testifying  concerning  his  purity  of 
character,  his  genial  spirit,  the  refinement  of  his  manners, 
his  hearty  and  persuasive  eloquence  in  the  pulpit,  the  devotion 
and  tender  sympathies  that  so  strongly  marked  his  pastoral 
activities. 

My  personal  recollections  of  him  are  altogether  pleasant;  and 
I  cherish  his  memory  fondly,  as  that  of  an  eminently  good  and 
useful  man.  I  am  glad  that  you  have  undertaken  the  work  you 
have  on  hand  ;  I  wish  you  all  success  in  it,  and  that  it  may  be 
followed  with  the  blessing  that  cometh  down  from  above. 

FROM  REV.  DR.  R.  WEISER,  DENVER,  COL. 

May  3,  1885. 

*  #  *  *  When  young  Stork  came  to  Gettysburg  at  about  16 
years  of  age,  he  was  a  slender  youth  and  apparently  in  delicate 
health. 

He  took  a  high  position  as  a  diligent  and  successful  student 
of  the  Classics.  *  *  *  After  he  had  entered  the  ministry,  I 
met  him  at  protracted  meetings  in  Frederick,  where  I  heard 
him  preach  several  of  his  spendid  sermons.  After  his  removal 
to  Philadelphia,  I  became  associated  with  him  in  East  Pennsyl- 
vania Synod,  and  often  heard  him  preach,  and  met  him  at  the 
General  Synod  at  various  places.       *       *      *       *  * 

Soon  after  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  the  East  Pennsylvania 
Synod  met'  at  Milton.  He  had  preached  on  several  occasions 
with  great  power  and  pathos,  his  heart  had  been  mellowed  by 
affliction,  and  the  realities  of  the  invisible  world  seem  to  have 
laid  hold  of  his  mind  in  an  unusual  manner ;  for  the  moment  he 
opened  his  lips  to  speak,  a  wave  of  excitement  seemed  to  roll 
over  the  congregation.  At  the  close  of  the  Synod  Dr.  Stork 
was  requested  by  a  resolution  to  return  the  thanks  of  Synod  to 
the  members  of  the  church  who  had  entertained  us  so  hand- 
somely. 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


93 


When  Brother  Stork  rose  up  to  speak,  a  deep  solemnity 
pervaded  the  whole  large  assembly,  for  all  expected  to  hear 
something  unusually  interesting,  and  we  were  not  disappointed, 
for  a  more  thrilling  and  pathetic  address  none  of  us  had  ever 
heard.  Alter  speaking  most  affectionately  and  impressively  to 
the  people,  and  thanking  them  for  their  kindness  and  hospi- 
tality, and  hoping  they  might  be  rewarded,  he  then  turned  to  the 
preachers  and  with  deep  feeling  said  :  "And  now  my  dear  breth- 
ren we  have  spent  a  pleasant  season  together ;  we  have  been 
cheered  and  comforted  by  the  presence  of  the  Lord — our  hearts 
have  been  knit  closer  together  -  we  have  sat  together  in  heavenly 
places  in  Christ  Jesus.  But  we  must  now  separate.  You,  my  dear 
brethren,  will  return  to  your  homes,  your  loved  ones  will  receive 
you  with  joy  and  gladness— but  where  am  I  to  go?  I  have  no 
home  on  earth  !  The  Lord  has  broken  up  my  home."  At  this 
point  he  was  so  overcome  by  his  feelings  that  he  broke  down, 
and  we  all  bioke  down  with  him,  and  the  whole  vast  audience 
hi  a  moment  had  become  a  Bochim  (a  house  of  weeping). 
Never  had  I  seen  such  an  outbreak  of  feeling — we  all  loved 
Brother  Stork,  and  our  deepest  sympathies  were  with  him,  and 
it  took  some  time  before  he  could  finish  his  address.  This  was 
on  the  26th  of  September,  1846  :  I  recollect  it  distinctly. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  for  me  to  state  that  Brother  Stork  was 
much  beloved  by  all  his  clerical  brethren,  for  he  was  an  amiable 
and  lovable  man,  full  of  tenderness  and  sympathy.  As  a 
preacher  he  was  eloquent  and  very  impressive,  he  never  failed 
to  gain  the  attention  of  his  hearers ;  his  sermons  were  all  care- 
fully written,  and  he  generally  read  them,  but  he  was  an  elegant 
reader.  He  paid,  perhaps,  more  attention  to  rhetoric  and  elo- 
cution than  any  other  man  in  the  church.  His  cadences,  and 
gestures,  and  the  modulations  of  his  voice,  all  seemed  to  have 
been  carefully  studied.  This  some  of  his  best  friends  thought 
was  not  natural,  and  detracted  somewhat  as  they  supposed  from 
his  power  in  the  pulpit.  But  these  were  the  very  points  that 
constituted  his  strength  in  the  pulpit.  In  any  other  man  than 
Rev.  T.  Stoik,  the  modulation  of  the  voice,  and  its  peculiar  in- 
tonation would  have  been  looked  upon  as  affectation  ;  but  in 
5* 


94       THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


him  it  was  perfectly  natural.  He  was  mild,  conciliatory, 
and  forgiving.  His  preaching  was  always  acceptable  and 
instructive.  His  aim  was  to  do  good.  Nor  did  he  labor  in 
vain.  The  fruits  of  his  labors  are  all  the  churches  which  he 
served  ;  his  memory  is  still  cherished  by  those  who  enjoyed  the 
benefit  of  his  labors.  He  spent  the  evening  of  his  life  in  writ- 
ing rather  than  in  preaching.  His  style  is  clear  and  elegant, 
highly  finished,  and  always  fresh,  lively  and  vigorous.  I  loved 
him  as  a  man,  admired  him  as  a  preacher,  and  cannot  speak  too 
highly  of  him  as  a  writer  of  entertaining  and  instructive  books. 
I  would  say  of  him,  as  Halleck  said  of  Drake  : 

"  Green  be  the  turf  above  thee, 
Friend  of  my  early  days : 
None  knew  thee  but  to  love  thee, 
None  named  thee  but  to  praise." 

I  send  you  this  faded  chaplet,  which  you  may  hang  upon  the 
tomb  of  an  old  and  departed  friend  and  brother. 

A  JUDICIOUS  ESTIMATE  OF  DR.  STORK  AS  A  SERMONIZER. 
{From  the  Observer.) 

The  volume  of  sermons  of  Dr.  T.  Stork,  edited  by  his 
sons,  and  issued  by  our  Board  of  Publication,  appeared 
at  a  time  of  all  least  favorable  to  arrest  public  attention. 
It  was  in  the  very  midst  of  the  stir  and  bustle  of  the 
Centennial,  and  of  a  most  exciting  Presidential  election. 
The  minds  of  most  people  were  occupied  with  other  things 
than  the  reading  of  sermons.  But  the  Centennial  is  now 
over,  and  a  President  has  been  elected ;  and  we  may 
turn  our  minds  to  the  more  common  but  more  enduring 
subjects  of  thought. 

It  may  be  regarded  as  somewhat  of  a  venture  at  al- 
most any  time  and  by  any  one  to  publish  a  volume  of 
sermons.    Few  such  volumes  succeed  in  gaining  or  hold- 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


95 


ing  the  attention  of  any  considerable  number  of  readers. 
The  most  attractive  preachers  in  the  pulpit  are  often  very 
dull  in  print:  and  uas  dull  as  a  sermon"  has  in  certain 
circles  passed  into  a  by- word.  We  think  that  a  great 
deal  that  is  said  about  sermons  and  preaching  is  more 
commonplace  and  dull  than  any  preaching  can  well  be  ; 
and  yet  it  cannot  be  denied  that,  as  a  rule,  sermons  are 
not  the  most  interesting  reading.  For  this  some  better 
reasons  than  those  ordinarily  offered  might  be  given  were 
it  necessary,  but  this  is  not  our  purpose. 

This  may  be  regarded  as  a  rather  awkward  and  cum- 
bersome introduction  to  a  few  words  on  a  volume  of  ser- 
mons. Very  well.  Let  it  be  so  regarded.  We  want 
to  say  that  this  volume  of  sermons  by  Dr.  Stork  cannot 
be  considered  dull  or  commonplace,  but  will  be  read  with 
interest  and  profit  by  all  who  love  divine  truth,  and  may 
be  studied  with  advantage  by  those  whose  business  it  is 
to  preach  the  gospel.  It  deserves  a  place  in  the  minis- 
ter's library,  and  in  the  choice  reading  of  the  family.  It 
will  serve  as  a  quickener  of  thought  and  of  piety. 

It  is  not  our  purpose  to  attempt  any  careful  analysis 
of  this  volume,  or  to  offer  any  extended  criticism.  Our 
main  object  is  simply  to  call  attention  to  it,  in  the  hope 
that  many  will  be  induced  to  procure  the  volume  and 
study  it  for  themselves,  and  in  the  assurance  that  they 
will  be  amply  rewarded.  To  avoid  misapprehension,  we 
will  say  that  if  any  one  obtains  this  volume  with  the 
expectation  of  finding  learned  discussions,  or  faultless 
homiletics,  he  will  likely  be  disappointed.  The  volume 
cannot  be  commended  for  these  qualities.    But  it  has 


96      THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 

qualities — the  very  qualities  that  made  Dr.  Stork  among 
the  most  attractive  and  impressive  of  preachers — that 
must  commend  the  volume,  and  make  it  worthy  of  a  care- 
ful study.  In  attempting  to  note  a  few  points  which 
strike  us  in  reading  the  volume,  we  mention — 

The  absence  of  just  these  qualities  which  too  often 
make  sermons,  written  or  preached,  dull.  There  are  no 
trite  utterances,  which  mean  nothing  at  all,  or  unmeaning 
sentences  that  seem  to  be  spoken  just  because  something 
must  be  said.  Sometimes  we  are  tempted  to  say  as  we 
read  or  hear,  This  is  all  true,  but  what  of  it?  To  find  a 
volume  free  from  such  studied  dullness  is  no  small  merit, 
and  is  a  great  relief  in  reading. 

Again,  there  is  no  tedious  prolixity.  Some  preachers 
when  they  hit  upon  a  good  idea,  beat  it  to  death.  They 
seem  to  be  so  pleased  with  it  that  they  handle  it  until  all 
life  and  beauty  are  departed.  Under  the  pretense  of 
presenting  it  under  different  points  of  view,  they  exhibit 
it  until  we  are  tired,  and  the  mind  wanders  after  some- 
thing else.  There  is  nothing  tedious  in  these  sermons. 
Their  brevity  is  explained  from  the  fact  that  they  were 
left  in  an  incomplete  condition ;  but  had  they  been  much 
longer  it  would  not  have  altered  the  case — they  lack  the 
common  quality  of  tedious  prolixity. 

The  qualities  thus  stated  are  rather  negative  than  pos- 
itive, and  it  would  do  injustice  to  these  sermons  to  leave 
the  impression  that  they  are  lacking  in  positive  excel- 
lencies. Some  of  these  we  should  name,  as  freshness, 
simplicity,  beauty,  aptness  of  illustration,  spirituality, 
and  fervor.    Without  any  great  claim  to  originality, 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


97 


there  is  a  freshness  about  these  sermons  that  is  attractive. 
Truths  are  put  in  a  strong  and  striking  light.  There  are 
sharp,  incisive  sentences,  and  vivid  pictures  scattered 
through  them,  which  relieve  them  of  everything  like 
tameness,  and  make  them  a  pleasure  to  read.  Take  this 
at  random  from  the  sermon,  "  Christ's  Sigh:"  "There 
may  have  been  something  in  the  dangerousness  of  the 
faculty  he  was  about  to  bestow  upon  the  man  that  made 
him  sigh.  It  was  language.  He  knew  the  power  of 
speaking  was  specially  the  power  of  sinning ;  that  no 
member  was  so  difficult  of  control  and  so  liable  to  offend 
as  the  tongue  ...  It  was  a  perilous  gift.  It  may  help 
us  to  keep  the  door  of  our  lips  to  remember  that  Christ 
sighed  when  restoring  this  faculty."  That  is  equal  to  a 
whole  sermon  on  the  danger  of  the  tongue. 

With  this  is  joined  a  charming  simplicity  and  beauty. 
We  do  not  mean  either  superficiality  or  meretricious 
decorations.  The  idea  which  some  people  attach  to  sim- 
plicity in  style  or  speaking  is  that  it  has  no  depth  of 
meaning.  But  they  mistake  emptiness  and  superficiality 
for  genuine  simplicity — to  which  it  has  no  resemblance. 
And  their  idea  of  beauty  corresponds  with  the  present 
idea  of  dress — the  more  ornamental  work  the  more  beau- 
tiful. But  good  taste  spurns  such  excessive  adornment. 
Dr.  Stork  had  the  taste  to  combine  simplicity  with  beauty, 
as  we  find  them  in  the  natural  world.  While  there  are 
sparkling  beauties  in  conception  and  expression,  they  do 
not  destroy  the  simplicity  of  his  style.  He  never  wearies 
with  a  profusion  of  ornament. 

Many  of  the   striking   illustrations  with  which  Dr* 


98       THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


Stork's  preaching  abounded  it  is  known  were  introduced 
on  the  occasion,  and  are  not  found  in  his  printed  discus- 
sions. But  we  have  enough  here  to  give  some  idea  of  his 
aptness  at  illustration  and  in  the  application  of  Scripture. 

A  crowning  excellence  in  these  sermons  is  their  spirit- 
uality and  religious  power.  The  preacher,  one  feels,  is 
in  sympathy  with  his  subject,  and  is  aiming  to  draw  his 
hearers  to  the  Saviour.  In  the  pulpit  he  seemed  to  be 
standing  near  the  cross,  and  from  it  to  sound  out  the  in- 
vitations of  mercy  aud  peace.  They  are  gospel  sermons 
— not  dry  discussions  of  doctrines  or  moral  essays,  but 
teeming  with  rich  treasures  of  divine  truth. 

We  feel  quite  sure  that  more  preaching  like  that  in 
these  sermons  would  help  to  render  the  pulpit  more  effec- 
tive and  the  world  better. 

REMINISCENCES  OF  THE  REV.  T.  STORK,  D.  D. 
{From  Rev.  Dr.  8.  W.  Harkey.) 
As  I  knew  Theophilus  Stork  in  his  boyhood  in  North 
Carolina,  and  as  a  student  during  his  entire  course  in 
the  college  and  seminary  at  Gettysburg,  I  may  perhaps 
be  able  to  give  a  few  facts  of  interest  to  the  general 
reader. 

I  can  remember  the  name  of  old  grandfather  Stork 
(written  Storch  in  German),  the  revered  father  of 
Theophilus,  for  more  than  sixty  years,  as  the  embodi- 
ment of  almost  everything  that  was  valuable  to  the 
Lutheran  church  in  the  central  counties  of  North  Caro- 
lina. The  same  class  of  people,  of  our  household  of 
faith,  were  found  here  as  in  Pennsylvania.    In  fact,  num- 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


99 


bers  of  them  had  immigrated  from  Pennsylvania,  going 
south  through  the  "valley  of  Virginia,"  and  across  the 
"Blue  Ridge"  into  Guilford  county,  where  Salem,  a 
Moravian  town,  has  existed  from  the  early  times,  and  then 
into  the  good  lands  along  the  Yadkin  and  Catawba  rivers. 
The  Germans  seem  always  to  find  the  good  lands.  Over 
all  these  portions  of  North  Carolina,  German  Lutherans 
were  scattered  even  before  the  times  of  the  Revolutionary 
war. 

Old  father  Stork  did  more  than  all  other  men,  a  cen- 
tury ago,  to  seek  out  these  scattered  sheep  of  our  fold, 
and  gather  them  into  congregations.  Many  of  the 
churches  which  he  organized  still  exist,  some  of  which  I 
have  known  personally,  as  the  one  in  Salisbury,  the  "  Or- 
gan Church,"  some  twenty  miles  south  of  Salisbury,  and 
the  St.  John's  church,  formerly  called  the  "Red  Meeting 
House,"  some  miles  east  of  Concord  in  Cabarrus  county. 

Father  Stork  owned  a  farm  some  five  miles  west  from 
the  Organ  church,  where  he  spent  the  evening  of  his  days 
in  retirement,  after  disease  compelled  him  to  relinquish 
the  active  duties  of  the  ministry,  and  where  Theophilus 
passed  his  childhood  and  youth.  When  I  was  eighteen 
years  of  age  I  taught  a  school  in  this  neighborhood  in 
the  winter  of  1829-30,  and  also  gathered  the  young  peo- 
ple together  to  practice  singing  on  Sunday  afternoons 
when  there  was  no  service.  One  Sunday  afternoon  The- 
ophilus, who  was  then  a  lad  fifteen  or  sixteen  years  of 
age,  came  to  my  singing-school  and  insisted  that  I  must 
go  home  with  him,  as  his  father  wished  to  see  me.  It 
was  a  distance  of  about  ten  miles,  and  he  had  come  on 


100    THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 

horseback.  We  rode  the  horse  turn-about,  and  soon  made 
our  way  to  the  home  of  the  venerable  patriarch.  They 
had  heard  that  I  had  a  desire  to  go  to  Gettysburg  to  study 
for  the  ministry,  and  as  Theophilus  was  also  to  go,  they 
wished  to  see  me  about  it.  Father  Stork  was  now  dis- 
abled from  all  labor,  and  confined  to  his  room  by  dropsy. 
I  saw  him  sitting  in  his  large  arm-chair,  unable  to  walk 
or  move  around,  except  as  that  chair  was  moved.  I  re- 
mained over  night,  and  Theophilus  and  I  talked  over  and 
over  the  whole  matter  of  our  going  to  Gettysburg  to 
study  for  the  ministry,  and  laid  plans  for  its  accomplish- 
ment. It  was  indeed  a  grave  question  for  us.  It  was 
a  long  distance  from  our  home,  nearly  five  hundred  miles 
from  that  part  of  Carolina  to  Gettysburg.  We  were 
young,  and  knew  nothing  about  the  world  or  a  course  of 
education  for  the  ministry.  And  worst  of  all,  I  had  no 
money  to  pay  my  way,  though  Stork  had  some  means. 

Theophilus  was  the  youngest  son  of  Father  Stork, 
"  the  son  of  his  old  age,"  and  he  was  anxious  that  this 
son  should  be  devoted  to  the  work  of  Christ — in  some 
sense  to  take  the  father's  place  in  the  church  when  he 
was  gone.  We  were  called  into  the  old  gentleman's 
room  in  the  evening  for  family  worship.  Neither  of  us 
could  pray  extemporaneously,  but  we  could  sing  and  read. 
So  we  sang  a  hymn,  and  Theophilus  read  a  prayer  from 
the  liturgy.  Father  Stork  then  asked  me  about  going 
to  study  for  the  ministry,  and  said  he  wanted  Theophilus 
to  go  to  Gettysburg  the  coming  fall ;  he  was  now  going 
to  a  high  school  nearer  home,  but  by  next  fall  he  should 
go  to  Gettysburg.    He  urged  me  to  go  as  soon  as  I 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


101 


could  get  ready.  I  told  him  the  difficulties  in  my  way 
— that  I  was  young  and  inexperienced,  was  my  father's 
oldest  child  and  he  needed  me  at  home  on  the  farm,  and 
that  my  parents  could  not  possibly  raise  the  money  to 
support  me  ;  otherwise  they  were  willing  I  should  go. 
He  said:  "Tell  your  parents  such  things  must  be — they 
must  be!  God  will  help  you.  They  must  let  you  go." 
I  told  him  there  were  two  other  young  men  of  whom  I 
had  heard  who  wanted  to  go,  and  perhaps  I  could  go  with 
them.  He  said  I  must  go,  and  he  would  write  to  Professor 
Schmucker,  and  prepare  the  way  for  me.  The  agree- 
ment was  made  that  I  should  go  as  soon  as  I  could  get 
ready,  and  should  write  back  and  tell  how  things  were  at 
"the  Seminary,"  and  in  a  few  months  Theophilus  should 
come.  I  parted  from  the  good  man,  having  received  his 
blessing,  and  I  never  saw  him  again.  But  that  blessing 
abideth  yet,  and  all  that  he  said,  and  much  more  than 
any  of  us  could  hope  for  has  come  to  pass  !  My  school 
closed  about  March,  1830,  and  I  had  made  a  little  money 
with  which  I  could  pay  my  way  to  Gettysburg,  and  for 
the  future  the  good  Lord  must  help — and  He  did.  The 
other  two  young  men  and  myself  "  fixed  up"  a  little  one- 
horse  wagon,  with  a  top  to  it,  called  a  "  carry -all,"  and 
came  to  Gettysburg,  leaving  home  on  the  24th  of  May, 
1830,  and  arriving  at  our  journey's  end  on  the  10th  day 
of  June,  at  an  expense  of  $3. 55  J  each,  or$10.65f  for  all 
three  of  us,  a  distance  of  five  hundred  miles !  Theophi- 
lus Stork  was  exceedingly  anxious  to  go  with  us;  but 
for  good  reasons  his  father  thought  best  that  he  should 
wait  and  come  in  the  fall. 


102     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 

It  was  then,  as  yet,  a  "  day  of  small  things"  at  Gettys- 
burg. No  seminary  or  college  buildings,  or  Professors' 
houses,  existed.  There  had  been  theological  classes 
organized,  and  the  "  Gymnasium,"  and  in  all  some  thirty 
odd  students  were  in  attendance.  The  exercises  were 
held  in  the  old  Academy,  an  humble  two-story  brick 
building,  containing  a  library  room,  a  small  chapel,  and 
three  recitation  rooms.  Rev.  Prof.  S.  S.  Schmucker 
was  there,  and  Revs.  David  and  Michael  Jacobs.  I  well 
remember  the  pale  and  sickly  face  of  David  Jacobs,  to 
whom  I  recited  my  first  lessons  in  the  Latin  Grammar. 
He  left  the  Institution  that  summer,  and  took  a  trip  to 
the  South  for  the  benefit  of  his  health,  but  only  got  back 
as  far  as  to  Shepherdstown,  Virginia,  where  he  died. 

The  same  fall,  in  the  month  of  October  I  think, 
Theophilus  Stork  came  to  Gettysburg, -making  the  trip 
in  the  stage ;  a  ruddy  youth  of  sixteen,  full  of  life  and 
hope.  One  of  the  first  things  he  asked  me  was,  "  How 
much  have  you  learned  since  you  are  here  ?  Can  you 
read  any  Latin?"  I  took  up  a  copy  of  Caesar,  and  read 
a  paragraph  or  two  near  the  beginning,  which  I  had 
about  committed  to  memory.  "  Why,  you  can  read  Latin 
better  than  I  can,"  said  he, "  and  I  am  surprised  at  you  !" 
"  Come  on,"  said  I,  "  we  are  here  now  at  Gettysburg, 
and  we  must  make  it  tell."  Of  course  we  were  fast 
friends  all  the  time  during  our  student  days,  and  during 
all  his  life.  You  will  observe  from  these  statements  which 
I  know  to  be  true,  that  some  errors  have  been  committed 
by  a  writer  in  the  Review  who  furnished  a  sketch  of  Dr. 
Stork's  life.    He  did  not  go  to  Gettysburg  after  his 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


103 


father's  death,  but  before,  and  was  called  home  when  his 
father  was  dying,  and  returned  to  Gettysburg  in  the  fall 
of  1831.  It  is  not  correct  to  say,  as  that  writer  has 
done,  that  his  father  urged  his  "  delicate  health  as  an  in- 
superable obstacle,"  for  the  pastoral  office ;  but,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  father  gave  his  full  consent,  and  even  in- 
sisted upon  this  course.  I  am  perfectly  familiar  with  all 
these  facts. 

He  was  a  faithful  student,  a  good  young  man,  and  I 
think  entirely  free  from  the  usual  college  vices.  He  re- 
mained at  Gettysburg  several  years  longer  than  I  did, 
and  graduated  in  both  college  and  seminary. 

A  TRIP  SOUTH. 

During  the  summer  and  fall  vacation  of  1832,  three  of 
us  North  Carolina  students  took  it  into  our  heads  to 
make  a  trip  back  to  the  old  home.  But  how  was  it  to  be 
done  ?  No  railroads  in  those  days,  nor  any  way  of 
going  except  by  stage  or  on  foot.  But  stage  fare  was 
high,  and  we  had  no  money  with  which  to  pay  it  even  if 
it  had  been  low.  After  much  deliberation  and  planning, 
we  determined  to  attempt  the  journey  on  foot !  Each  of 
us  would  make  up  a  small  bundle  of  such  clothing  as  we 
must  have,  in  the  shape  of  a  knapsack,  and,  as  the  roads 
were  good,  we  could  go  on  slowly  from  day  to  day,  and 
surely  in  three  weeks  we  could  make  the  500  miles! 
Theophilus  Stork  was  one  of  the  trio,  and  eager  to  make 
the  start.  "Good-by7  Gettysburg!"  for  awhile,  anyhow 
— hope  to  return  in  a  couple  of  months !  The  first  day  we 
tramped  from  Gettysburg  to  Hagerstown,  and  the  second 


104     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 

from  Hagerstown  to  Martinsburg,  in  Virginia ;  and  then 
we  called  a  "council  of  war,"  for  Theophilus  declared 
he  could  go  no  farther.  His  feet  were  terribly  sore,  and 
he  was  completely  "used  up."  What  should  we  do? 
The  whole  subject  was  duly  considered,  and  it  was  deter- 
mined that  Stork  should  take  the  stage  and  return  to  Get- 
tysburg, and  the  other  two  of  us  shouldered  our  knap- 
sacks and  went  "marching  on."  And  we  made  the  500 
mile  trip,  and  in  due  time  were  at  our  places  again  in 
Gettysburg,  and  found  Brother  Stork  all  right.  How  we 
made  the  trip — how  we  walked,  and  when  and  how  we 
rested — what  sights  we  saw  in  the  valley  of  Virginia,  at 
the  Natural  Bridge,  and  in  the  mountains  we  crossed — 
and  how  one  of  our  number,  though  he  had  been  at  Get- 
tysburg only  two  years  and  had  no  license  to  preach  yet, 
did  preach  all  around  in  the  old  Carolina  churches,  and 
produced  quite  "a  sensation" — all  this  and  a  great  deal 
more  it  is  no  business  of  this  article  to  tell.  Only 
Brother  Stork  never  started  on  another  such  trip  on  foot, 
nor  did  the  rest  of  us. 

After  all,  the  failure  of  dear  Theophilus  to  accompany 
us  to  Carolina  at  that  time,  proved  a  most  sad  and  seri- 
ous loss  to  him,  subsequently  causing  him  much  grief. 
He  never  got  to  see  the  face  of  his  good  mother  again. 
How  deeply  this  distressed  him  I  perhaps  got  to  know 
better  than  any  one  else.  His  father  had  been  called 
home  the  year  before,  but  his  mother  was  yet  living 
when  we  made  the  trip,  but  died  rather  suddenly  the 
next  year,  and  he  saw  her  no  more.  Afterwards  it  was 
made  his  sad  duty  to  visit  the  old  homestead,  to  aid  in 


KEV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


105 


settling  up  matters — but  0,  how  changed !  The  old  farm 
and  house  were  there,  but  all  he  loved  most  dearly  on 
earth  were  gone.  I  asked  him  about  it  when  he  re- 
turned. "Ah!  yes,"  said  he,  "  I  was  at  the  dear  old 
home.  The  house  and  the  barn  and  the  shade  trees  in 
the  yard,  and  the  garden,  all  are  there  as  they  used  to 
be ;  the  kitchen,  dining  room,  study  and  parlor,  all 
remain;  but  0,  the  loved  ones  all  are  gone!  I  exam- 
ined everything  carefully.  The  little  horse  I  had  carved 
on  the  kitchen-door  with  my  penknife,  is  still  there  ;  and 
the  spring  branch  where  I  used  to  fish  with  a  pin  hook — 
all  still  there.  The  birds  sing  among  the  branches  of  the 
trees  as  sweetly  as  ever ;  but  the  whole  seemed  a  mock- 
ery, where  no  sweet  voice  of  the  dear  departed  was  now 
to  be  heard." 

From  Lutheran  Observer,  April  3,  1874 — Editorial. 

Dr.  S.  was  an  attractive  and  forcible  preacher,  always 
interesting  and  often  presenting  truths  in  a  most  beauti- 
ful and  striking  manner.  He  was  especially  successful 
in  pressing  the  truth  upon  the  impenitent,  and  many  ex- 
tensive revivals  of  religion  took  place  under  his  efficient 
ministrations  of  the  gospel  in  nearly  all  his  pastorates. 

Personally,  he  was  genial  and  companionable,  and  his 
attachment  to  and  interest  in  personal  friends  was  very 
warm  and  tender.  He  devoted  a  considerable  portion  of 
his  time  to  authorship  and  has  published  a  number  of 
works,  some  of  which  have  passed  through  several  edi- 
tions. *  *  *  As  a  writer,  Dr.  Stork  displayed  a 
lively  imagination  and  poetic  fancy,  as  well  as  a  culti- 


106     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 

vated  and  literary  taste ;  and  our  readers  are  too  well 
acquainted  with  his  attractive  style  to  require  any  char- 
acteristic of  it  here. 

From  the  Lutheran  Home  Monthly. 

Dr.  Stork  is  dead.  We  do  not  speak  of  the  editor, 
the  writer,  the  Doctor  of  Divinity,  but  of  the  man. 
Doubtless  every  Lutheran  journal  in  the  land  will  bear 
testimony  to  Dr.  Stork's  worth,  and  many  a  one  *vho  has 
no  connection  with  our  church,  or  indeed  with  any  church, 
will  have  some  words  of  compliment  to  speak  or  write  ; 
but  who  can  tell  a  tithe  of  the  good  man's  goodness  and 
amiability  and  benevolence  ard  beneficence  ? 

Let  others  talk  of  him  in  his  public  life,  let  yet  others 
publish  what  he  was  to  them  socially  ;  grant  us,  dear 
reader,  the  sad  privilege  of  boasting  of  our  close  intimacy 
with  this  excellent  man  for  the  past  six  years.  Every 
day,  during  that  time,  unless  absent  from  the  city  or  ill, 
he  spent  some  two  hours  with  us  at  the  Publication  House, 
aiding  us  by  his  advice,  by  his  exquisite  literary  taste,  by 
his  means,  and  still  more  by  his  countenance  and  personal 
influence — all  this  done  as  President  of  the  Board,  lov- 
ingly, unselfishly,  and  without  any  remuneration  what- 
ever. 

Time  and  again  we  have  been  asked,  "  Why  do  you 
publish  books  for  Dr.  Stork  and  not  for  us?"  Waiving 
the  fact  that  Dr.  Stork's  reputation  as  an  author  made 
his  books  eminently  desirable  to  any  Publishing  House, 
we  are  now  at  liberty  to  answer — his  death  has  unsealed 
our  lips — "  Because  he  assumed  a  large  part  of  the  labor, 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


107 


and,  on  account  of  our  inadequate  capital,  all  the  ex- 
pense." 

On  the  other  hand,  the  inquiry  has  been  made,  and 
with  some  reason,  "Why  did  he  not  let  the  Publication 
Society  publish  his  last  two  books?"  We  feel  at  liberty 
now  to  reply  to  that  query :  It  was  his  intention  to  give 
those  two  books  to  the  Publication  Board,  and  all  the 
preliminary  labor,  including  the  stereotyping,  and  even 
the  purchase  of  the  paper,  was  done  by  us  to  that  intent ; 
but  alas  !  his  attention  was  called  to  some  unkind  re- 
marks with  regard  to  the  Board's  publishing  books  for 
him  and  not  for  others  ;  also  that  he  took  advantage  of 
his  position  as  President  to  give  his  own  books  a  prece- 
dence. 

These  strictures,  so  unfounded  and  so  unjust,  made  in 
many  instances  by  persons  who  knew  nothing  of  the  Doc- 
tor, and  in  every  case  by  those  who  knew  nothing  of  the 
circumstances,  wounded  his  sensitive  heart  to  a  degree 
not  sufficient,  it  is  true,  to  induce  him  to  defend  himself 
from  the  baseless  charge,  and  yet  enough  to  make  him 
feel  that  "it  might  be  better"  (his  own  words)  to  have 
his  books  published  elsewhere — the  Publication  House 
being  no  loser  by  the  change. 

Our  cheek  burns  as  we  write  these  words,  and  we  do 
it  only  from  a  sense  of  justice  to  the  dead.  Our  testi- 
mony is,  and  we  write  it  advisedly,  that  the  Publication 
Society,  during  our  time,  owes  much  more  to  Dr.  T. 
Stork  than  to  any  other  one  man. 

The  Lutheran  Home  Monthly  is  the  last  proof  of  his 
unselfish  love  for  the  Church,  and  for  its  Publication 


108     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


House.  His  money  and  his  energy  have  given  it  life  and 
being.  It  has  afforded  him  great  anxiety,  and  has  neces- 
sarily cost  him  a  goodly  sum  beyond  its  receipts. 

"Took  advantage  of  his  position!  "  Yes,  Dr.  Stork 
did  take  advantage  of  his  position,  but  not  in  the  way 
charged.  The  advantage  consisted  in  this  one  good  man's 
bearing  far  more  than  his  share  of  the  work  of  the  Pub- 
lication House. 

At  another  time  we  hope  to  write  further  on  this  sub- 
ject; at  present  we  feel  inadequate  to  the  duty. 

The  last  editorial  written  for  the  Home  Monthly  was 
"I  am  Now  Ready."  Dr.  Stork  was  ready  to  leave  his 
work,  unfinished  here,  to  be  continued  in  heaven.  We 
mourn  our  loss  in  him,  even  though  we  call  to  mind  his 
own  beautiful  language  in  his  last  book: 

"  The  departure  of  loved  ones  is  a  sorrow  which  shades 
the  earth,  but  opens  heaven.  Every  Christian  friend  de- 
parted may  in  spirit  be  walking  with  us  by  the  way, 
causing  our  hearts  to  rejoice  within  us  by  opening  to  us 
the  deep  things  of  God,  though,  like  the  disciples  of  old, 
our  eyes  are  holden  that  we  see  it  not." 

The  following  tender  and  touching  article  written  for 
the  Observer  soon  after  Dr.  Stork's  death,  by  his  young- 
est son,  now  an  attorney  in  Philadelphia,  presents  his 
poetical  tastes  and  social  character  in  an  attractive  light: 

IN  MEMORIAM. 

"Nay,  if  you  read  this  line,  remember  not 
The  hand  that  writ  it ;  for  I  love  you  so 
That  I  in  your  sweet  thoughts  would  be  forgot 
If  thinking  on  me  then  should  make  you  woe." 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


109 


Who  can  ever  forget  those  tender  lines  of  Shakespeare  ? 
An  American  essayist  has  tried  to  separate  the  love  and 
sweetness  of  the  great  poet's  soul  from  his  greatness. 
But  Shakespeare's  own  true  lover,  Leigh  Hunt,  with  an 
instinct  truer  than  the  critic's,  has  shown  the  greatness 
of  the  poet's  genius  in  the  delicacy  and  tenderness  of  his 
love-songs.  Would  that  there  were  room  to  quote  the 
warm-hearted  appreciation  of  the  gentle  Hunt. 

Men  are  wont  to  consider  a  loving,  trusting  nature  as 
a  weak  one,  and  of  an  inferior  rank.  There  could  scarcely 
be  a  greater  mistake.  The  loving  soul  is  the  grandest, 
highest  type  of  man's  nature.  In  Shakespeare  his  truest 
greatness  was  his  capacity  for  true  and  noble  loving,  as 
shown  in  his  sonnets.  It  is  man  made  after  the  image  of 
his  Creator,  who  Himself  is  love. 

This  power  of  loving  and  this  benignity  and  kindliness 
of  soul  may  be  seen  running  through  the  genius  of  all 
ages.  When  it  is  wanting  one  misses  the  most  precious 
gift  of  genius  to  men — that  sunny,  trusting  spirit  of 
good  will,  and  kindliness,  and  love.  What  would  this 
world  be,  unlighted  by  its  divine  radiance  ? 

It  was  with  such  thoughts  that  we  read  Dr.  Stork's 
dedicatory  stanzas  in  Afternoon.  They,  too,  in  a  smaller 
degree,  partake  of  the  same  loving  tenderness  of  soul  as 
Shakespeare's  sonnets. 

Friends  of  our  passing  life  and  ways — 

Now  present  to  our  view  ; 
These  garnered  thoughts  of  leisure  days, 

We  dedicate  to  you. 

G 


110     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 

We  ask  not  for  posthumous  fame 

From  loving  friends  apart, 
But  kindly  thoughts  about  our  name, — 

The  memory  of  the  heart. 

It  is  the  same  spirit,  expressed  mayhap  less  perfectly 
— his  was  not  the  poet's  power  of  song — but  he  gave 
what  he  had,  he  spoke  as  well  as  he  could  the  longing  of 
his  heart  for  love  and  kindly  memories. 

Sometimes  a  man  writes  down  his  whole  character  in 
one  or  two  brief  sentences.  In  this  the  whole  man,  his 
spirit  and  life,  are  expressed.  This,  Dr.  Stork,  we 
think,  has  done  in  these  dedicatory  stanzas.  Every  one 
that  knew  him  will  recognize  the  sentiments  and  perceive 
how  characteristic  they  are  of  the  man.  He  asked  not 
for  posthumous  fame ;  we  all  know  how  little  ambition  he 
had ;  he  never  expressed  a  regret  at  losing  a  high  posi- 
tion ;  he  often  left  it  of  his  own  accord.  But  when  any 
one  spoke  ill  of  him  or  felt  unkindly  toward  him,  it 
grieved  him  to  the  heart.  It  is  this,  the  most  prominent 
trait  of  his  character,  that  gives  his  life  its  highest  dig- 
nity, that  speaks  his  kinship  with  far  greater  spirits  than 
his  own.  We  shall  never  forget  how  he  looked  as  he 
wrote  those  little  verses  which  he  put  in  "Afternoon" 
He  wrought  them  over  and  over,  re-modelling  and  revising 
them  with  lingering  fondness,  and  then  he  turned  to  us, 
when  at  last  he  had  satisfied  himself,  and  with  that  smile 
of  quiet  pleasure  beaming  on  his  face  (just  as  his  friends 
had  seen  him  often  greet  them)  read  them  over  to  us. 

It  is  a  sad  pleasure,  now  and  then,  in  one's  reading  to 
come  across  in  his  books  the  passages  he  loved  to  quote 


EEV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


Ill 


— the  sentences  pencil-marked,  the  page  turned  down. 
He  used  to  be  very  fond  of  bits  of  poetry.  Here  is  one 
from  Tennyson  that  he  would  often  quote : 

"A  thousand  suns  will  stream  on  thee, 
A  thousand  moons  shall  quiver, 
But  not  by  thee  my  steps  shall  be, 
Forever  and  forever/' 

He  liked  Tennyson  much,  and  enjoyed  especially  the 
"Brook  Song"  which  a  young  friend  sang  to  him  several 
times.  There  is,  too,  in  the  Idyls  of  the  King,  in  the 
"Morte  d' Arthur"  a  soliloquy  that  we  remember  read- 
ing to  him  which  pleased  him  greatly,  he  never  having 
noticed  it  before.  And  we  recollect  his  telling  us  after- 
ward how  he  quoted  it  once  in  a  lecture,  but  the  people, 
he  thought,  did  not  appreciate  it.  The  lines  were  those 
beginning : 

"  And  slowly  answered  Arthur  from  the  barge, 
The  old  order  changeth,  yielding  place  to  new, 
And  God  fufills  himself  in  many  ways 
Lest  one  good  custom  should  corrupt  the  world." 

The  whole  speech  is  fine,  but  when  we  came  to 

"Pray  for  my  soul.    More  things  are  wrought  by  prayer 
Than  this  world  dreams  of.    Wherefore  let  thy  voice 
Rise  like  a  fountain  for  me  night  and  day. 

*       *       #■       *       *       *•       #  -x- 
For  so  the  whole  round  earth  is  every  way 
Bound  by  gold  chains  around  the  feet  of  God." 

His  face  lit  up  in  that  rare  way  it  would  when  he  was 
pleased.  "Let  me  see  that,"  he  said,  and  I  handed  him 
the  book. 


112     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


His  consideration  for  the  feelings  of  others  was  exces- 
sive. He  was  as  thoughtful  for  the  enjoyment  of  the 
servants  in  his  house  as  he  was  for  himself.  At  Christ- 
mas time — which  he  always  observed  with  the  innocent, 
eager  joy  of  a  child — he  was  ever  careful  to  think  of 
them,  and  remember  them  with  some  pretty  trifle.  He 
used  to  say,  when  any  one  spoke  to  him  of  it,  "I 
think  they  would  feel  so  lonely  if  they  got  no  presents." 
As  a  natural  consequence  of  this  trait,  he  was  very  sen- 
sitive to  neglect  or  slights  from  those  he  loved,  and  felt 
with  exquisite  keenness  any  unkind  word  or  act. 

And  yet  we  have  known  him — such  was  the  broad 
generosity  of  his  spirit— to  turn  upon  men  who  had 
abused  and  ill-treated  him,  and  repay  their  abuse  with 
favors  and  benefits.  It  seemed  weakness  to  some,  and 
doubtless  so  thought  the  very  men  thus  favored;  they 
could  not  attain  unto  it,  it  was  too  high  for  them.  But 
now  when  he  is  gone  we  begin  to  see  in  the  love  that  fol- 
lows him  how  truly  wise  he  was,  and  how,  as  he  himself 
used  to  say,  "Loving  favor  is  better  than  silver  or  gold." 

There  was  about  him  a  certain  delicacy  of  soul,  a  re- 
serve that  he  never  shook  off  even  with  his  most  intimate 
friends.  Those  who  knew  him  well  will  remember  how, 
on  meeting  after  a  separation,  there  was  always  a  certain 
embarrassment,  a  timidity  of  soul,  just  like  a  bird  look- 
ing askance  and  waiting  trembling  to  enter  into  the  old 
familiar  intercourse.  Uncertain  whether  his  friend  was 
still  the  same,  and  fearing  to  take  liberties,  he  assumed 
a  tentative1  position. 

But  enough  of  these  memoirs.    He  was  no  great  spirit, 


REV.  T1IE0PHILUS  STORK,  D.  1). 


113 


his  was  but  a  humble  position  in  the  great  army  of  teach- 
ers and  authors ;  but  he  was  a  true-hearted,  loving,  trust- 
ing soul,  whose  sunshine  and  kindness  lightened  the  path 
of  many  a  weary  toiler,  and  whose  monument  must  be  in 
the  hearts  of  those  that  loved  him. 

T.  B,  STORK. 

At  the  quarterly  meeting  of  the  Ministerial  Union  of 
Philadelphia,  held  on  Monday,  the  30th  of  March,  Rev. 
Dr.  Hotchkin  announced  the  death  of  Dr.  Stork,  and  Dr. 
Alfred  Nevin  moved  that  a  committee  be  appointed  to 
draw  up  a  minute  on  his  death.  In  accordance  therewith, 
Alfred  Nevin,  D.  D.,  E.  H.  Nevin,  D.  D.,  P.  S.  Henson, 
D.  D.,  and  Rev.  T.  M.  Griffith  were  appointed  said  com- 
mittee, who,  after  retiring,  subsequently  u  reported  reso- 
lutions expressing  the  regret  of  the  Union  at  the  untimely 
decease  of  a  ministerial  brother  whose  sincerity,  fidelity 
and  catholicity  gave  indubitable  evidence  of  the  genu- 
ineness of  his  piety,  and  greatly  endeared  him  to  his 
brethren  in  the  ministry,  and  to  all  who  came  in  contact 
with  him ;  and  tendering  their  heartfelt  sympathies  to  the 
bereaved  family."  After  appropriate  remarks  by  Rev.  J. 
Wheaton  Smith,  D.  D.,  Dr.  Crowell,  and  Revs.  A.  Cather 
and  S.  W.  Thomas,  the  minute  was  unanimously  adopted. 

DEATH  OF  DR.  STORK — OUR  LAST  CONVERSATION. 
BY  REV.  JOS.  H.  BARCLAY. 

From  the  Lutheran  Observer  of  April  10th,  187 4. 
Death  has  again  entered  the  circle  of  our  ministry,  and 
another  dearly  beloved  of  God  has  gone  home.  How 
rapidly  the  ranks  are  thinning  out  of  the  strong  men  of 


114     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 

our  Church !  In  such  a  little  while,  Hutter,  Pohlman, 
Bachman  and  others  have  gone  from  us,  and  now  to 
the  list  of  our  illustrious  dead  we  must  add  one  more 
— the  noble-hearted,  tender  and  gifted  Stork.  What  a 
thrill  it  sends  through  the  heart  of  the  Church,  that  he 
who  has  profited  so  many  by  his  preaching,  his  writings 
and  his  conversation,  has  left  us,  and  we  shall  see  him  no 
more  until  we  reach  the  great  white  throne ! 

Knowing  Dr.  Stork  intimately  for  many  years,  having 
met  him  at  home  and  in  travel,  we  made  it  a  special  ob- 
ject to  visit  him  only  a  few  weeks  since  when  in  Phila- 
delphia ;  and  it  was  then  we  held  the  conversation  we  de- 
sire to  relate  here,  as  illustrating  our  brother's  yearn- 
ing after  heaven,  and  one  of  the  special  premonitions  he 
had  of  his  approaching  dissolution. 

We  had  visited  him  on  matters  connected  with  the 
Lutheran  Monthly,  and  through  our  brother's  great 
kindness  in  subscribing  for  one  of  the  memorial  windows 
in  our  new  church  edifice  in  Baltimore,  a  subject  was 
suggested  for  an  article  for  the  Monthly,  "How  old  art 
thou?"  which  opened  up  the  thought  of  growing  old. 
Bro.  Stork  was  very  free  and  peculiarly  tender  that  day 
upon  heavenly  things — the  whole  drift  of  thought  and 
affection  was  upward.  He  was  very  weak,  and  his  voice 
husky,  and  Avhen  we  asked  him  of  his  own  experience 
and  feeling  in  growing  old  in  God's  service,  and  reminded 
him  of  the  former  days  of  health  and  vigor,  he  replied 
with  that  peculiar  smile  that  so  often  played  over  his 
countenance,  "I  find  that  age  comes  unconsciously, 
and  that  with  advancing  years  has  come  the  grace  to 


KEV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


115 


grow  older  willingly ;  it  gets  lighter,  not  heavier.  I 
have  scarcely  been  conscious  of  any  change  in  that  direc- 
tion, o£  any  regrets  for  the  youth  far  back ;  but  the 
really  sad  and  most  distressing  aspect  of  the  case  to  me, 
Bro.  B.,  was  the  knowledge  that  through  infirmities, 
not  old  age  (remember,  Dr.  Stork  was  yet  only  on  the 
edge  of  old  age),  I  must  quit  preaching.  I  love  to 
preach,  and  it  seemed  to  me  age  was  nothing,  death  noth- 
ing, in  comparison  with  the  saddening  truth — I  must 
preach  no  more.  I  could  not  for  a  time  be  reconciled, 
but  I  am  now  resigned  to  the  will  of  God — only  it  seems 
to  me  I  must  be  active." 

We  conversed  on  the  little  time  really  allowed  us  for 
the  Master's  work,  and  together  we  ran  over  the  list  of 
the  active,  influential  pastors  who  were  in  their  prime, 
and  had  a  firm  hold  on  the  affections  and  admiration  of 
the  church  only  sixteen  years  ago,  when  the  writer  en- 
tered the  ministry,  and  who  had  dropped,  one  by  one,  out 
of  the  active  ranks,  some  of  them  to  enter  on  their  ever- 
lasting rest ;  and  we  were  mutually  surprised  to  see  how 
few  remained  in  the  active  work — when  he  added  :  "  This 
conversation  recalls  to  me  the  thoughts  of  a  remarkable 
and  to  me  premonitory  dream  I  had  only  a  few  nights 
ago.  I  am  not  a  believer  in  dreams,  as  a  rule  ;  but  this 
was  so  real,  so  vivid,  and  developed  to  me  such  full  ideas 
of  old  friends  gone,  and  the  heavenly  recognition,  that  it 
has  left  a  strong  impression  on  my  mind,  and  I  have  felt 
ever  since  that  it  has  a  connection  with  my  own  dissolution. 
You  may  not  know  that  when  living,  Dr.  Krauth,  Sr., 
and  myself  were  warm  friends,  and  it  was  in  this  city 


116     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


that  we  frequently  took  long  walks,  often  into  the  coun- 
try, and  we  would  talk  of  the  work  of  life — its  end,  and 
the  heavenly  state  and  recognition;  of  how  we  should 
appear  and  know  each  other  there.  These  conversations 
were  profitable  to  me.  He  passed  to  his  reward  years 
ago.  Well,  a  few  nights  ago  he  appeared  to  me  while  I 
was  sleeping.  I  seemed  awake,  and  I  saw  him  in  as 
real  and  tangible  a  form  as  I  see  you  now.  I  knew  he 
was  a  spirit,  but  the  spirit  appeared  as  the  friend  I  knew 
in  the  days  of  his  flesh.  He  looked  as  I  saw  him  years 
ago  in  the  vigor  of  life ;  his  appearance,  his  manner,  his 
voice,  were  precisely  as  when  on  earth.  He  came  to  me, 
and  we  renewed  our  old  friendship.  We  took  one  of  our 
old  walks,  and  we  resumed  our  conversation  as  those  who 
have  been  parted  only  for  a  little  while.  He  recalled 
the  old  impressions,  and  told  me  of  his  state,  his  experi- 
ence, his  consciousness,  and  how  fully  it  corresponded 
with  the  views  and  impressions  we  held  in  the  days  of  the 
flesh.  And  whilst  we  talked  of  the  positiveness  of  this 
state,  of  the  holy,  comforting  feeling  of  knowing  each 
other  in  heaven,  and  renewing  the  old  friendships  of  the 
glorified  ones  above,  gone  before,  and  how  they  recog- 
nized each  other,  he  said  to  me  on  our  return  from  our 
walk,  as  we  were  about  parting  like  two  friends  who 
would  meet  the  next  day  :  i  You  see  how  real  it  is  ;  how 
like  what  we  believed  it  long  ago ;  how  we  shall  know 
each  other,  and  talk  of  the  old  ways,  the  old  joys,  as  in 
the  days  of  my  flesh ;  how  we  can  take  up  the  threads  of 
conversation  laid  down  on  earth,  and  resume  it  in  glory. 
Be  comforted.    We  shall  soon  meet  again,  and  we  shall 


REV.  TIIEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


117 


know  and  love  each  other  as  of  old.  Farewell.'  And 
so  he  vanished  out  of  my  sight,  and  I  awoke  feeling  that 
death  would  only  open  the  gates  of  glory.  And  so  the 
end  and  dying  has  lost  all  its  shadow  and  darkness,  and 
I  wait  patiently." 

So  our  conversation  ended ;  but  as  we  left  Dr.  Stork 
that  day,  so  strong  was  the  impression  wrought  by  his 
words  and  manner,  that  we  remarked  to  some  of  his  old 
friends  and  former  parishioners,  "Our  Brother  Stork 
will  hardly  be  long  with  us.  He  seems  to  realize  an  end 
fast  approaching." 

We  had  hoped  to  see  him  again  in  this  world ;  but  it 
is  not  so  to  be.  Our  noble,  amiable,  talented  one  has 
left  us.  Our  gentle  Philip  Melanchthon  is  dust,  and  we 
wait  patiently  to  meet  him  above,  and  to  realize  the  truth 
of  his  own  vision — we  shall  know  each  other  there.  Only 
a  few  short  months  ago  we  parted  in  a  like  manner  from 
our  dear  Brother  Hutter,  when  he  too  talked  of,  and 
awaited,  and  confidently  expected  his  reward,  without 
one  doubt  or  sense  of  gloom.  And  so  they  pass  from  us 
and  enter  into  rest,  for  "  there  remaineth  a  rest  for  the 
people  of  God."  Sweet,  indeed,  must  be  the  joy  in 
the  midst  of  sorrow  to  his  loved  ones,  that  husband  and 
father  has  only  gone  to  rest  a  little  earlier  in  the  day, 
and  they  shall  meet  him  and  know  him  in  heaven.  And 
may  the  lesson  come  to  each  one  of  us  working  in  the 
Master's  cause,  "Work  while  it  is  called  today." 
6* 


118     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 
REV.  S.  A.  HOLMAN,  D.  D., 

Of  Philadelphia,  writes : 

I  had  the  pleasure  of  an  intimate  acquaintance  with 
Dr.  Theophilus  Stork  during  the  last  six  years  of  his 
life,  and  of  his  residence  in  this  city.  He  possessed  in 
an  eminent  degree  "  the  wisdom  that  is  from  above ; 
pure,  peaceable,  gentle,  easy  to  be  entreated,  full  of 
mercy  and  good  fruits,  without  partiality,  without  hypoc- 
risy." Not  long  before  his  death,  some  of  the  brethren 
were  canvassing  the  characteristics  of  prominent  men  in 
the  church,  and  whilst  to  some  were  conceded  greater  in- 
tellectual power  and  energy,  it  was  admitted  without  dis- 
sent that  none  would  be  more  highly  exalted  in  the 
heavenly  world  than  Dr.  Stork.  His  spirit  was  of  the 
type  of  the  apostle  John's.  His  preaching  combined  in 
a  high  degree  the  distinction  which  improves  the  mind, 
and  the  unction  which  touches  the  heart.  His  style  was 
nervous  and  classical,  and  he  was  fond  of  illustrating 
truths  by  poetical  quotations,  which  he  selected  with  ad- 
mirable judgment. 

Dr.  Stork  was  an  early  and  steadfast  friend  of  our 
Publication  House,  and  aided  it  in  its  early  struggles, 
more  than  once,  in  a  substantial  way.  He  originated 
The  Lutheran  Home  Monthly,  which,  after  his  death, 
was  merged  into  The  Augsburg  Teacher. 

His  life  and  labors  are  worthy  of  being  embodied  in  a 
volume  which  shall  transmit  the  memory  of  his  virtues  to 
posterity. 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


119 


In  Quarterly  Review,  January,  1875. 
REV.  DR.  J.  A.  BROWN. 

Having  known  Dr.  Stork  somewhat  intimately  for 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and  having  been  for  a  long 
time  closely  associated  with  him  in  labors,  it  may  not  be 
presumptuous  for  us  to  append  a  note  to  the  sketch  pre- 
sented by  Dr.  Diehl,  in  this  number  of  the  Review. 
This  is  done  not  with  any  design  or  hope  of  improving 
what  has  been  said,  but  simply  to  add  our  individual  tes- 
timony to  his  talents  and  worth  as  a  minister  of  Christ. 
Such  a  testimony,  indeed,  may  not  be  necessary  after  the 
record  of  his  life  is  given,  but  it  affords  us  a  melancholy 
pleasure  to  be  allowed  thus  to  express  our  appreciation 
of  the  character  of  our  departed  friend  and  brother.  Dr. 
Stork  possessed  a  heart  in  an  unusual  degree  free  from 
guile.  He  was  naturally  confiding,  and  hence  more  eas- 
ily imposed  on  than  many  others  of  a  more  suspicious 
nature.  His  sympathies  were  tender  and  easily  excited, 
and  he  trusted,  at  all  times,  more  to  his  feelings  than  to 
his  judgment.  His  errors,  for  he  was  prone  like  other 
men  to  err,  were  rather  those  of  the  head  than  of  the 
heart.  His  talents  and  taste  peculiarly  fitted  him  for 
the  pulpit.  By  nature  and  grace  he  was  richly  endowed 
to  preach  salvation  to  perishing  sinners.  He  was  not  a 
man  of  patient,  untiring  study  in  one  particular  field,  but 
loved  to  roam  at  large,  admiring  what  was  most  attract- 
ive and  beautiful  in  every  department,  and  culling,  wher- 
ever he  could  find  them,  the  choicest  flowers.  Endowed 
with  a  quick  and  tender  sensibility  to  the  true,  the  beau- 
tiful and  the  good,  his  soul  was  readily  fired  by  the  grand 


120     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


themes  of  the  gospel.  He  disliked  all  shams  in  religion 
and  worship.  He  was  deeply  in  earnest  when  dealing 
with  divine  things.  We  have  heard  him  at  synods,  and 
on  other  public  occasions,  as  well  as  in  the  ordinary  min- 
istrations of  the  sanctuary.  Like  all  men  of  his  tempera- 
ment, his  preaching  was  very  unequal.  To  be  truly  elo- 
quent, he  needed  to  be  aroused ;  and  never  was  he  more 
truly  in  his  element  or  more  deeply  in  earnest,  than  when 
holding  up  Christ  as  the  Saviour  of  the  lost.  Though  not 
of  a  strictly  theological  cast  of  mind,  he  delighted  in  the 
great  doctrines  of  grace,  and  presented  them  with  great 
unction  and  power.  There  was  a  fervor  and  a  glow,  at 
times,  that  thrilled  the  heart.  He  was  emphatically  a 
heart  preacher.  Of  all  our  ministers  whom  we  have 
heard,  none  ever  impressed  us  as  Dr.  Stork  did,  in  his 
most  touching  and  impassioned  appeals.  We  have 
heard  more  learned  and  more  logical  discourses  than  he 
preached,  but  none  that  were  better  adapted  to  move  the 
heart,  or  to  stir  the  very  depths  of  the  soul.  If  we 
should  attempt  to  analyze  his  preaching  and  to  say  in 
what  his  power  consisted,  it  would  not  be  difficult  to  point 
out  the  more  prominent  elements  ;  but  there  was  a  hidden 
fire,  a  mysterious  magnetism,  that  must  be  felt  to  be  ap- 
preciative. His  eloquence  was  that  of  divine  truth 
coming  from  a  soul  fired  with  the  love  of  Christ,  and 
intensely  in  earnest  in  the  work  of  his  Master.  His 
poetic  imagination,  his  tender  sympathy,  his  earnest 
zeal,  all  contributed  to  give  his  utterances  in  the  pulpit 
attractiveness  and  power.  The  eloquence  was  in  the 
man  and  in  his  themes.    The  pulpit  was  his  place  of 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


121 


greatest  strength.  It  was  here  that  his  influence  was 
most  felt.  Whilst  he  will  be  loved  and  cherished  as  a 
friend  and  a  Christian,  it  will  be  as  an  ambassador  of 
Christ,  as  a  preacher  of  the  gospel,  that  he  will  be  best 
known  and  longest  remembered.  As  such  this  feeble 
tribute  is  offered  by  one  who  loved  and  admired  him. 

J.  A.  13. 

TRIBUTES  TO  DR.  STORK. 

"The  memory  of  the  just  is  blessed." — Most  of  our 
Lutheran  contemporaries,  both  German  and  English, 
have  noticed  the  death  of  Dr.  Stork,  and  after  detailing 
the  principal  events  of  his  life,  bear  a  uniform  testimony 
to  his  Christian  character  and  usefulness.  We  take 
pleasure  in  translating  and  publishing  the  following: 

Dr.  Krotel,  in  the  Lutlierische  Herold  of  April  9th, 
bears  the  following  testimony  concerning  Dr.  Stork,  as 
his  successor  at  St.  Mark's,  Philadelphia : 

"  Dr.  Stork  was  for  many  years  one  of  the  most  be- 
loved ministers  of  the  Lutheran  church ,  and  by  his  lovely 
character  had  won  many  hearts.  As  we  entered,  in 
1862,  upon  the  discharge  of  our  duties  in  St.  Mark's 
congregation,  organized  by  him,  and  which  h-ad  also 
been  served  previously  by  Drs.  C.  A.  Smith  and  CP. 
Krauth,  we  had  the  opportunity  of  noticing  the  warm 
attachment  which  many  still  cherished  toward  him.  We 
met  him  frequently  and  had  the  best  opportunity  of 
knowing  him. 

"  Our  friends  know  on  which  side  the  departed  stood, 
in  the  struggle  through  which  our  church  was  called  to 


122     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 

pass  during  the  last  ten  years,  and  we  need  not,  there- 
fore, dwell  upon  that  point.  Although  we  differed  from 
him  on  various  points,  and  sometimes  came  in  collision 
with  him,  we,  nevertheless,  cheerfully  bear  this  testimony, 
that  he  was  most  heartily  devoted  to  the  church  of  his 
fathers ;  that  he  sought  her  peace  and  prosperity,  and 
that  he  clung,  with  a  believing  and  child-like  heart,  to  his 
Lord  and  Saviour.  He  always  approached  us  in  the 
most  friendly  manner,  and  after  his  recovery  from  his 
severe  illness  last  year,  he  wrote  us  a  charming  letter,  in 
which  he  expressed  the  earnest  desire  that  all  whom  he 
had  in  any  wise  wounded,  might  forgive  him  as  heartily 
as  he  forgave  all  who  had  trespassed  against  him.  All 
of  us  have  our  weak  side,  and  he  was  not  an  exception ; 
but  when  we  take  a  retrospect  of  his  earthly  career,  we 
thank  the  Lord  for  the  good  which  he  has  accomplished 
through  his  servant,  and  say  of  the  departed,  May  his 
memory  be  blessed !  The  Lord  comfort  the  faithful  com- 
panion of  his  life,  who  was  to  him  for  many  years  an 
affectionate  helpmeet,  and  impart  grace  to  the  sons  to 
follow  the  example  of  their  father." 

The  Zeitschrift  of  April  4th,  says: 

"He  who  has  fallen  asleep  in  Jesus  was,  indeed,  by 
his  training  an  American  Lutheran,  but  he  loved  the 
church  of  his  fathers  and  desired  her  welfare.  He  was 
endowed  with  beautiful  spiritual  gifts  and  a  noble  soul. 
He  belonged  to  the  good  men  in  the  domain  of  the  Gen- 
eral Synod,  who  rejoiced  in  the  proposed  Free  Confer- 
ence, and  hoped  to  live  to  see  it,  but  who  have  been 
called  hence  through  death,  before  the  time  and  place  of 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


123 


its  assembling  had  been  determined.  How  many  other 
leaders  of  the  church  may  die  before  it  transpires! " 

The  Kirchenfreund  of  April  9th  presents  the  princi- 
pal events  of  his  life,  and  adds: 

"  We  are  again  called  upon  to  announce  the  death  of 
one  of  the  most  prominent  and  honored  members  of  the 
General  Synod,  Rev.  Dr.  Stork.  Besides  his  successful 
pastoral  labors,  his  various  writings  have  caused  him  to 
become  widely  known  and  beloved,  both  in  and  beyond 
the  bounds  of  the  Lutheran  church.  He  leaves  a  widow 
and  three  sons,  with  whom  the  Lutheran  church  mourns 
in  him  one  of  her  ablest  and  best  ministers." 

The  Lutheran  appends  the  following  to  its  notice  of 
the  obsequies  of  Dr.  Stork : 

"  So  ended  the  earthly  career  of  an  amiable  and  much 
loved  minister  of  Christ.  He  had  his  weaknesses,  like 
all  the  rest  of  us;  let  the  recollection  of  them  be  buried 
with  him.  He  had  his  worth  and  virtues ;  them  let  us 
cherish  and  imitate.  Before  the  same  Judge  we  must  all 
soon  appear,  and  in  the  one  only  Saviour  can  any  of  us 
hope  for  salvation.  Precious  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  is 
the  death  of  his  saints." 

RESOLUTIONS  OF  RESPECT. 

At  a  joint  meeting  of  the  church  council  and  the  board 
of  officers  of  St.  Mark's  Lutheran  church,  Philadelphia, 
Pa.,  held  Tuesday  evening,  the  7th  inst.,  a  committee 
was  appointed  to  prepare  suitable  resolutions  of  respect 
with  reference  to  the  death  of  Dr.  Stork,  the  first  pastor 
of  said  church,  who  reported  as  follows: 


124     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IS  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


Whereas,  It  has  pleased  Almighty  God  to  remove  from  the 
toils  of  earth  to  the  joys  of  heaven,  Rev.  Theophilus  Stork,  D.  D., 
the  founder  and  first  pastor  of  this  congregation ;  therefore, 

Resolved,  That  while  we  bow  in  humble  submission  to  the 
will  of  Ilim  who  in  His  own  good  time  calls  His  servants  home 
to  their  reward,  we  testify  to  the  zeal,  ability  and  conscientious- 
ness of  our  former  beloved  pastor,  during  all  the  period  of  his 
ministrations  among  us. 

Resolved,  That  we  tender  the  afflicted  family  our  sincere  sym- 
pathy in  their  great  and  sore  bereavement,  and  commend  them 
to  Ilim  who  alone  can  give  comfort  and  consolation  in  the  hour 
of  sorrow  and  sadness.  J.  A.  Kunkelman, 

Lewis  L.  IIouft, 
H.  W.  Knauff. 

The  Harrinbury  Telegraph  contains  the  following  no- 
tice of  this  sad  event: 

"A  telegram  from  F.  V.  Beisel,  Esq.,  Philadelphia,  to 
Rev.  G.  F.  Stelling,  announces  the  death  of  Rev.  Theo- 
philus Stork,  D.  D.,  in  that  city,  at  half  past  twelve 
o'clock  last  night.  Dr.  Stork  was  one  of  the  noted  di- 
vines of  the  Lutheran  church.  A  most  estimable  man — 
a  devout  Christian — a  successful  preacher  and  pastor — a 
good  writer  and  popular  author,  his  death  will  occasion  a 
profound  sorrow  thoughout  the  denomination  to  which  he 
belonged." 

We  also  find  the  following  notice  of  Dr.  Stork's  death 
in  the  Baltimore  American: 

"  Rev.  Dr.  Theophilus  Stork  died  at  his  residence,  in 
Philadelphia,  Pa.,  on  Saturday  morning  last,  in  the  six- 
tieth year  of  his  age.  He  ranked  for  many  years  as  one 
of  the  most  prominent  of  his  denomination  for  culture, 
eloquence  and  pastoral  success.    His  literary  attainments 


REV.  TilEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


125 


were  of  the  highest  order,  and  few  could  equal  him  in 
pulpit  services.  He  was  the  first  pastor  of  the  flourish- 
ing congregation  of  St.  Mark's  on  Eutaw  street,  and  was 
succeeded  in  that  church  by  his  son,  the  present  pastor. 
Many  friends  in  Baltimore  cherish  his  memory  most 
fondly,  and  will  sympathize  most  heartily  with  his  family 
in  their  bereavement.  The  pastor  of  St.  Mark's  was 
summoned  by  telegram  on  Friday,  and  arrived  in  time  to 
see  his  honored  father  breathe  his  last.  The  announce- 
ment of  his  death  was  made  by  Rev.  Dr.  Morris,  at  St. 
Mark's,  during  the  Sunday  morning  service,  and  pro- 
duced a  profound  sensation,  many  tearful  eyes  giving  ex- 
pression to  the  heart-memories  of  their  former  pastor. 
In  the  afternoon,  the  intelligence  was  communicated  to 
the  Sunday-school,  where  many  of  those  who  entered 
the  church  during  his  pastorate  are  now  active  and  effi- 
cient workers.  Humanly  speaking,  the  Church  can  ill 
afford  to  lose  such  a  man." 

TRIBUTES  OF  RESPECT. 

Philadelphia,  May  2,  1874. 
Mrs.  Dr.  Stork  and  Family ;  Esteemed  friends  :  Permit  me 
herewith  to  present  yon  with  the  annexed  extract  from  the  min- 
utes of  proceedings  of  the  last  meeting  (the  only  meeting  since 
the  death  of  your  loved  one),  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  our 
church,  and  believe  me,  with  warmest  feelings  of  love  and  sym- 
pathy, 

Yours  very  truly,  W.  J.  Miller. 

Whereas  :  Since  the  last  meeting  of  this  Board,  our  former 
pastor  and  much  beloved  brother,  Rev.  Dr.  Stork,  has  been 
called  to  his  rest ;  and  Whereas,  duty  and  affection  alike  bid  us 
to  take  suitable  note  of  this  sad  event,  we  therefore,  the  official 


126     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


Board  of  St.  Matthew's  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  of  the  city 
of  Philadelphia,  Pa .,  place  this  our  action  upon  record. 

Rev.  Theophilus  Stork,  then  of  Winchester,  Va.,  was  unani- 
mously called  to  the  pastoral  care  of  this  church  in  the  year 
A.  D.  1841.  He  entered  his  new  field  of  labor  under  many  dis- 
couragements, occasioned  by  the  divided  and  distracted  condi- 
tion of  the  congregation.  By  faithful  labor  and  persevering 
prayer,  however,  a  new  era  of  progress  was  at  once  introduced. 
The  list  of  members  was  rapidly  increased,  and  precious  seasons 
of  revival  were  granted  from  the  "presence  of  the  Lord."  As 
a  preacher,  Dr.  Stork  was  eminently  scriptural  and  impressive  ; 
as  a  pastor  he  was  faithful  and  sympathizing ;  as  a  Christian  he 
was  earnest  and  exemplary.  His  guileless  life  and  generous 
catholic  spirit  drew  around  him  many  strong  and  abiding  friends. 
He  was  interested  in  all  the  prospects  of  his  own  church,  and 
ever  willing  and  ready  to  help  in  all  general  objects  of  Christian 
enterprise.  He  retained  the  pastoral  charge  of  this  congregation 
for  nine  years,  and  only  resigned  it  to  minister  to  the  newly 
organized  church  of  St.  Mark's,  which  was  composed  of  a  colony 
from  this  church. 

Having  now  passed  away,  we  would  remember  his  works  with 
gratitude,  and  cite  his  devotion,  zeal  and  fidelity  to  Christ  as 
worthy  of  all  commendation.  We  desire  to  record  our  convic- 
tion that  his  labors  were  in  a  marked  degree  owned  of  God,  to 
this  and  to  each  of  the  congregations  with  which  he  was  con- 
nected, and  that  in  his  death  the  Lutheran  church  has  lost  a 
bright  and  cherished  ornament,  and  the  church  of  Christ  an  able 
and  distinguished  defender. 

Although  he  died  before  the  infirmities  of  old  age  had  come 
upon  him,  for  "his  eye  was  not  dim,  nor  his  natural  force 
abated,"  yet  could  he  with  all  propriety  both  say  and  write,  as 
he  did  in  the  last  known  article  from  his  pen,  "I  am  now  ready 
to  be  offered,  and  the  time  of  my  departure  is  at  hand." 

In  view  of  this  death,  coming  so  quickly  after  that  of  his  suc- 
cessor and  intimate  clerical  friend,  our  late  pastor,  Rev.  E.  W. 
Hutter,  D.  D.,  we  feel  called  upon,  with  chastened  earnestness, 
to  ponder  anew  the  great  fact  that  life  is  rapidly  passing  away, 
and  that  soon  we  too  shall  be  called  to  render  our  account. 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  STORK,  D.  D. 


127 


The  example  of  our  departed  pastors  is  worthy  our  study  and 
emulation,  for  we  are  commanded  to  "remember  them  which 
have  spoken  unto  us  the  Word  of  God." 

We  extend  to  the  sorrowing  friends  and  relatives  of  our  de- 
parted brother,  the  assurances  of  our  sincerest  sympathy  and 
Christian  condolence,  rejoicing  with  them  also  in  the  worthy 
life  and  peaceful  death  of  him  we  all  so  sincerely  mourn. 

Resolved,  That  this  minute  be  communicated  to  the  family  of 
the  deceased. 

Wm.  J.  Miller,  Secretary. 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


CHAPTER  I. 

BIRTH  AND  PARENTAGE — JUVENILE  CHARACTER — SCHOOL  DAYS 
— LETTER  OF  HIS  UNCLE  JUDGE  LYNCH — AT  SCHOOL  AT  GET- 
TYSBURG— AT  HARTWICK — HARTWICK  REMINISCENCES — LET- 
TERS OF  HIS  PARENTS — HIS  CONVERSION — REV.  DR.  HILLER — 
PROF.  PITCHER — LETTERS  FROM  FRIENDS  AND  HIS  PARENTS. 

AS  has  been  seen  in  the  two  preceding  biographical 
sketches,  both  the  grandfather  and  father  of  Charles 
A.  Stork  were  Lutheran  divines  of  eminent  rank  and 
wide-spread  influence.  Their  names  will  be  honored  in 
the  Lutheran  Church  for  many  years  to  come,  and  their 
highly-gifted  and  learned  descendant  will  share  with 
them  their  well-earned  fame. 

Charles  was  born  on  September  4,  1838,  at  the  home 
of  his  maternal  grandfather,  William  Lynch,  Esq.,  near 
the  village  of  Jefferson,  Frederick  county,  Maryland. 
His  father  was  Rev.  Mr.  Theophilus  Stork,  and  his 
mother  was  Mary  Jane  Lynch  Stork,  daughter  of  the 
gentleman  above  named,  and  sister  of  the  present  Judge 
Lynch,  of  Frederick  county.  Mr.  Stork  was  at  this 
time  pastor  of  the  church  at  Winchester,  Va.  Three 
years  after  his  birth,  the  child  was  taken  to  Philadelphia, 
where  his  father  had  accepted  a  call  as  pastor  to  St.  Mat- 

(.128) 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


129 


thew's  church.  Five  years  after,  in  1846,  his  mother 
died,  near  Germantown,  and  he  and  his  younger  brother 
William  were  left  to  the  care  of  their  bereaved  father. 
Charles  was  now  sent  to  a  school  kept  by  Rev.  Lewis 
Eichelberger,  in  Winchester,  Va.,  where,  besides  being 
taught  the  rudiments  of  education,  he  received  some  ex- 
perimental instruction  in  the  mysteries  of  the  nursery 
which  are  not  usually  set  down  in  the  program  of  an 
academy.  His  juvenile  indignation  was  often  roused, 
because,  with  all  his  endearing  caresses  and  soothing 
cradle-rockings,  he  could  not  quiet  the  clamors  of  his  in- 
fantile charge.  He  has  said,  however,  that  he  there  laid 
.a  solid  foundation  for  Latin. 

The  following  interesting  incident  is  mentioned  by  Dr. 
T.  Stork  in  a  letter  to  a  friend  in  Winchester,  dated  Feb- 
ruary 19,  1844:  "The  children  are  all  well  and  happy. 
Charles  begins  to  read,  and  is  of  quite  a  serious  turn  of 
mind.  Yesterday  his  mother  was  reading  to  him  from 
the  Bible,  when  he  suddenly  burst  into  tears  and  said, 
'  0  mother,  I  am  so  wicked — how  will  I  meet  Jesus  in 
judgment?'  and  then  asked  her  to  pray  for  him.  And 
then  Mary  Jane  and  Charles  and  William  knelt  down  in 
prayer  together.  It  must  have  been  quite  an  affecting 
scene.  I  was  not  present.  Many  of  his  summers  during 
his  boyhood  were  spent  on  the  farm  of  his  grandfather  in 
Frederick  county,  where  he  continued  to  show  an  intense 
fondness  for  books,  which  was  displayed  from  the  time 
he  had  learned  to  read,  and  which  ceased  only  with  his 
death. 

He  seemed  to  take  no  delight  in  boyish  sports,  and  was 


130     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


consequently  looked  upon  as  morose  and  unsociable  by 
his  juvenile  schoolmates.  He  would  usually  betake  him- 
self to  some  solitary  place,  the  garret,  the  barn  or  a 
shady  retreat  in  the  woods,  and  there  he  would  spend 
hours  in  reading  books  suitable  to  his  capacity ;  but  even 
as  a  boy  his  mental  capacity  was  large,  and  books  of  an 
elevated  character  were  thus  read  by  him,  and  what  he 
read  he  remembered.  He  was  the  most  knowing  lad 
within  the  acquaintance  of  many  intelligent  persons.  In 
a  letter  from  his  stepmother,  which  will  be  inserted  in  its 
proper  place,  she  says,  "  But,  dear  Charlie,  how  is  it  that 
you  want  4 The  Arabian  Nights?'  I  thought  you  knew  it 
by  heart  —  you  have  read  it  so  often!  "  He  was  not  over 
fourteen  at  that  time,  and  the  same  might  have  been  said 
of  many  other  books  in  English  literature — he  knew  them 
by  heart,  he  had  read  them  so  often — and  in  many  cases 
a  single  reading  was  sufficient  to  fasten  every  fact  on  his 
memory  never  to  be  erased. 

The  following  letter  from  his  uncle,  Judge  Lynch, 
comes  in  appropriately  here : 

Frederick,  Md.,  March  14,  1855. 
#  *  *  #  Charles,  when  a  boy,  spent  much  of  his  time  in 
the  summer  season  at  my  father's  house.  He  was  a  quiet  and 
studious  lad  ;  of  a  very  sweet  disposition,  obedient  and  very  re- 
spectful to  his  grandparents  and  his  aunts,  who  had  the  care  of 
him. 

For  one  of  his  age,  he  was  unusually  fond  of  reading  ;  I  re- 
member there  were  in  the  house  old  files  of  a  paper,  called,  I 
think,  The  New  World,  full  of  interesting  articles  and  stories  of 
fiction.  While  the  other  children  were  at  play,  he  would  take 
these  papers  to  a  quiet  room  upstairs,  lie  flat  upon  his  stomach 
on  the  floor,  and  read  for  hours  at  a  time.  He  seemed  to  under- 
stand and  remember  what  he  read. 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


131 


He  never  seemed  fond  of  play.  His  brother  Willie  would 
often  complain  that  Charlie  was  too  lazy  "to  play  with  him  and 
the  negro  boys  on  the  farm." 

When  Charles  was  quite  young,  and  before  he  went  to  Hart- 
wick,  I  took  him  to  a  school  in  Winchester,  Va.,  kept  by  Rev. 
Mr.  Eichelberger .  The  only  comment  I  ever  heard  him  make 
upon  the  exercises  of  that  school,  was  the  complaint  that,  when 
not  in  the  schoolroom,  he  was  frequently  required  to  "rock  the 
baby,"  and  when  no  one  was  present  he  would  sometimes  give 
the  "  baby  "  a  slap.  He  was  a  remarkably  good  boy,  especially 
kind  and  gentle  towards  the  negro  children  on  the  farm,  and  was 
a  great  favorite  with  them  all.  And  I  think  I  might  truly  say 
of  him,  "And  the  child  Samuel  grew  on,  and  was  in  favor  both 
with  the  Lord  and  also  with  men." 

As  a  man  and  a  minister  he  was  well  known  to  you  ;  and  the 
Christian  heroism  with  which  he  bore  his  long  and  painful  sick- 
ness, we  all  remember. 

TAKEN  TO  GETTYSBURG  TO  SCHOOL  IN  1851. 

At  the  age  of  13,  he  was  entered  as  a  pupil  in  the 
preparatory  school  at  Gettysburg,  but  he  remained  less 
than  a  year.  He  was  sent  there  to  prepare  for  admis- 
sion into  Pennsylvania  College,  but  his  father  soon  took 
him  away,  and  he  never  afterwards  patronized  either  the 
College  or  Seminary  at  that  place. 

The  only  information  I  could  receive  concerning 
Charles'  career  there,  is  furnished  in  the  following  letter 
from  a  respected  layman,  now  living  in  Illinois : 

Among  the  most  cherished  pictures  of  years  gone  by,  which 
memory  holds  dear,  is  the  bright  cheery  countenance  and  vig- 
orous youthful  form  of  a  lovely  lad  with  whom  I  lived  in  Penn- 
sylvania College  as  room-mate  about  6  weeks,  near  the  close  of 
a  summer  session,  the  summer  (I  think)  of  '51.  We  were  asso- 
ciated in  this  relation,  and  for  this  brief  time,  by  the  absence 
from  college  of  Seniors  after  their  final  examination.  During 


132     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


this  brief  space  of  time,  the  only  time  we  were  destined  to  spend 
together  on  earth,  I  learned  to  love  that  youth  as  I  have  loved 
few  beings  on  earth  since.  The  brilliancy  of  his  mind,  the  vivac- 
ity and  sprigh times s  of  his  disposition,  the  patience,  kindness 
and  courtesy  of  his  demeanor,  are  alike  deeply  engraven  upon 
my  memory  and  heart,  and  cherished  among  the  choicest  treas- 
ures of  earlier  associations. 

In  our  eagerness  to  make  time  on  those  college  stairways,  we 
vied  with  each  other,  as  students,  in  the  number  of  steps  one 
could  distance  at  a  single  bound,  whether  we  might  be  going  up 
or  down,  and  it  so  happened  that  Charles,  in  his  eagerness  to  fly 
down  stairs,  sprained  his  ankle,  which  was  the  occasion  of  his 
confinement  to  our  room  a  week  or  more,  and  of  his  going 
rather  lame  during  a  fortnight  or  so  afterwards  ;  and  the  way 
that  child  devoured  books  and  reading  matter  while  necessarily 
absent  from  recitation,  was  amazing  to  contemplate.  A  part  of 
my  time  was  pleasantly  spent  in  waiting  upon  him,  and  in  con- 
veying food  for  mind  and  body  to  the  youthful  patient.  But, 
though  I  rejoiced  in  the  development  of  that  youthful  prodigy 
(for  such  I  ever  regarded  him),  and  often  eagerly  hoped  again 
to  enjoy  the  sunshine  of  his  magnetic  personal  presence,  the  fell 
destroyer  intervened,  and  the  pure  spirit  of  my  friend  is  bask- 
ing in  the  glorious  sunlight  of  His  presence  whom  he  delighted 
to  honor  upon  earth.  N.  g.  t. 

I  remember  hearing  Dr.  Stork  say  that,  during  a  long 
confinement,  occasioned  by  a  sprained  foot,  probably  that 
alluded  to  above,  he  took  lessons  in  Latin  from  one 
of  our  German  ministers,  who  compelled  him  to  read 
Horace  over  and  over  again  until  he  got  sick  of  him ;  but, 
said  he,  "  when  that  teacher  ceased  giving  me  lessons,  1 
knew  Latin!" 

I  think  that  frequent  repetition  is  the  secret  of  success- 
ful teaching  and  learning. 


llEV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


133 


TAKEN  TO  HART  WICK. 

In  1852  he  was  taken  with  some  other  Philadelphia 
boys  whose  fathers  were  members  of  Dr.  Stork's  church, 
to  Hartwick  Seminary  in  New  York,  the  classical  depart- 
ment of  which  was  at  that  time  conducted  by  Rev.  Dr. 
Miller. 

I  have  been  kindly  furnished  by  some  of  his  contem- 
poraries at  that  place  with  some  interesting  reminiscences, 
which  I  shall  here  introduce,  as  well  as  some  important 
family  letters,  all  of  which  set  forth  the  character  of  this 
most  promising  boy  in  a  more  impressive  light  than  a 
mere  narrative  could  do. 

HARTWICK  REMINISCENCES. 

A  fellow  pupil  of  Charles  A.  Stork  at  Hartwick,  thus 
writes:  "When  'Charlie,'  as  we  called  him,  delivered 
his  maiden  speech  at  the  commencement  exercises  of  the 
Seminary,  Drs.  Pohlman,  Senderling,  G.  B.  Miller,  and 
many  other  prominent  men,  were  present.  Charlie  per- 
formed his  part  so  well  that  the  boy  gave  promise  of  the 
coming  great  and  good  man.  Dr.  Stork,  his  father,  at  that 
time  was  in  his  prime,  and  his  name  and  praise  were  in 
all  the  churches  in  York  State.  When  the  young  orator 
had  finished  his  address,  there  was  a  general  and  sincere 
applause,  especially  among  the  preachers  and  older  per- 
sons in  the  crowd.  Dr.  Pohlman  expressed  the  senti- 
ment of  all  when  he  exclaimed  in  an  audible  whisper, 
6  This  young  Storkling  will  outwing  the  old  Stork  some 
day.'  Charlie  was  a  universal  favorite  during  his  school 
days  at  Hartwick." 
7 


134     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


LETTER  FROM  MRS.  E.  B.  STORK  TO  CHARLES. 

My  Dearest  Charles:  Your  prompt,  ingenuous,  and  affectionate 
letter  afforded  me  unmixed  satisfaction  ;  and  in  return  we  have 
all  endeavored  to  please  you  by  attending  to  your  requests,  which 
have  been  so  modestly  and  sweetly  presented.  *  *  *  Your 
dear  father  is  as  well  pleased  as  I  am  with  your  affectionate  let- 
ters, and  you  have  given  us  good  evidence  that  you  are  attending 
to  the  growth  of  the  heart  as  well  as  to  the  expansion  of  your 
mind.  This  is  as  it  should  be,  and  we  feel  quite  honored  by 
your  request  for  our  photograph  likenesses.  *  *  *  I  have  the 
books  you  wrote  for.  *  *  *  My  mother  sends  you  .  .  for 
Christmas  money,  to  which  I  add  an  equal  amount,  besides 
sending  you  lots  of  other  good  Christmas  things,  such  as  boys 
of  your  age  like.  *  *  *  I  also  enclose  a  .  .  gold  piece ;  do 
not  spend  it  foolishly. 

In  another  letter  on  family  subjects,  Mrs.  Stork  says 
in  conclusion: 

And  now,  my  dearest  child,  lastly  but  not  least  among  your 
list  of  duties,  how  is  it  with  your  soul? — are  you  living  for  eter- 
nity? Remember  your  responsibility  even  as  a  school  boy, 
' '  Watch  and  pray. ' '  Cherish  the  sincerest  love  for  your  mother, 
and  may  the  richest  divine  blessing  be  upon  you,  and  may  God's 
Spirit  shield  you  from  all  evil. 

FROM  MRS.  E.  B.  STORK  TO  CHARLES  AT  HARTWICK. 

Philadelphia,  December  6th,  1853. 
My  Bear  Charles  :  We  will  try  to  send  you  what  you  have  al- 
ready written  for.  But  dear  Charlie,  how  is  it  that  you  want  the 
"Arabian  Nights?"  I  thought  you  knew  it  by  heart,  you  have 
read  it  so  often.  Do  you  love  your  precious  Bible  as  much? 
How  often  do  you  read  it  ?  And  do  you  remember  prayer  f 
Oh  !  my  beloved  child,  these  are  the  chief  things  to  engage  our 
earnest  attention  as  travellers  to  eternity.  Oh,  do  not  trifle  by 
the  way,  and  perhaps  lose  your  immortal  soul,  for  a  shadow,  an 
empty  dream.   I  do  pray  that  you  may  be  kept  from  bad  books. 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


135 


This  is  your  great  danger  and  temptation.  Never  take  up  a 
volume  over  which  you  cannot  ask  God's  blessing.  This  is  your 
only  safeguard  amidst  the  impure  and  infidel  publications  of 
the  day.  Shun  the  first  thought  of  impurity  and  evil  as  you 
hope  to  be  saved.  "Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,  for  they  shall 
see  God."    "Evil  communications  corrupt  good  manners." 

FROM  MRS.  E.  B.  STORK  TO  CHARLES. 

Philadelphia,  Wednesday,  Jan.  19th,  1853. 
My  Dear  Charles:  We  are  all  of  us  delighted  to  find  ourselves 
so  affectionately  remembered  by  you.  I  regret  that  you  have  been 
sick  :  perhaps  you  expose  yourself  too  much  to  the  cold  ;  be  care- 
ful, do  not  run  into  any  danger  upon  the  ice.  You  know  you  are 
rather  heedless  and  incautious,  and,  my  dear,  you  must  recollect 
your  other  accidents  as  a  check  upon  yourself.  I  df  sire  that  you 
should  be  strong-nerved  and  heroic,  but  the  truly  courageous 
are  always  prudent  and  self-possessed.  Be,  therefore,  cheerful 
and  active,  but  not  venturesome.  How  did  you  get  your  skates? 
I  am  pleased  that  you  have  an  opportunity  of  mixing  in  good 
and  educated  female  society — it  tends  to  refine  the  manners,  and 
to  remove  the  natural  bashfulness  and  awkwardness  of  young 
boys  and  men.  We  enjoyed  a  most  bountiful  Christmas,  and 
had  a  large  number  of  good  and  serviceable  gifts  made  to  us  by 
our  friends.  I  was  not  well  during  the  holidays.  I  have  one 
lequest  to  prefer,  which  I  trust  you  will  not  refuse  or  neglect, 
for  the  sake  of  one  who  loves  you ;  it  is  that  you  will  resolve, 
by  the  help  of  God,  to  bow  your  knees  in  prayer  every  night  and 
morning  of  this  new  year.  The  Lord  help  you,  my  dear  child, 
and  enable  you  to  overcome  all  evil. 

Tour  affectionate  Mother. 

from  dr.  t.  stork  (on  the  same  sheet'). 

Dear  Charles  :  I  am  happy  to  hear  you  are  so  happy,  and  en- 
gaged so  studiously  in  your  duties.  Nothing  so  cheers  us  as  to 
hear  of  your  doing  well.  The  professors  gave  a  very  satisfac- 
tory account  of  all  the  Philadelphia  boys.  Try  and  always  give 
us  this  satisfaction. 


136     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


FROM  THE  PARENTS  TO  CHARLES  AT  HARTWICK  SCHOOL. 

Philadelphia,  February  3,  1853. 

My  Dearest  Charles :  You  must  not  allow  yourself  even  to 
imagine  that  I  could  forget  you — no,  indeed — you  are  ever  on 
my  heart,  and  in  my  prayers.  And  I  would  have  made  an  en- 
deavor to  cheer  you  up  ere  this,  if  I  could  have  known  that 
you  were  ever  a  sufferer  from  heaviness  of  heart. 

It  must  be  terribly  cold  up  there,  and  I  am  afraid  yourhealch 
may  be  impaired.  How  does  it  agree  with  your  constitution  ? 
Are  you  warmly  clad,  and  especially  is  your  room  kept  com- 
fortable, and  are  you  well  provided  with  bed  covering  ?  I  am 
sorry  that  you  had  to  shiver  and  shake  so  while  writing  your 
very  interesting  letter,  and  I  should  imagine  that  the  intense 
cold  weather  would  most  effectually  chase  the  blues  from  your 
soul. 

We  all  laughed  heartily  over  your  description  of  a  "Dona- 
tion party,"  and  your  "rustic  belle."  What  is  she  like,  physi- 
cally and  mentally  ?  And  so  your  heart  is  not  worth  losing? 
Your  father  and  I  have  set  a  much  richer  estimate  upon  your 
heart  than  you  have,  my  boy.  We  think  your  capacities  for 
loving  are  developing  more  and  more,  towards  us,  and  we  are 
delighted  with  your  affection  and  ingenuous  outgushings  of 
youthful  feeling. 

I  am  pleased  that  you  endeavor  to  make  yourself  agreeable 
to  all  around  you,  and  that  you  are  a  favorite  with  Dr.  Miller's 
family,  and  with  your  companions  generally.  Make  a  good 
use  of  your  influence,  and  be  ever  high-minded  and  truthful.  Be 
not  too  sensitive,  and  keep  out  of  the  way  of  tattlers  and  busy- 
bodies  ;  these  are  the  most  dangerous  kind  of  people,  corrupting 
alike  the  heart  and  the  mind.  Be  not  afraid  of  men,  but 
honor  "God,  who  has  power  to  cast  both  soul  and  body  into 
hell." 

I  should  like  to  hear  Bulwer's  history  of  a  man  who  "died 
of  a  good  heart,"  although  this  author  is  rather  a  question- 
able authority  for  anything,  radically  good.  Suppose  you  write 
it  out  for  us  in  your  next  letter.  The  terms  ' '  good ' '  and  ' '  bad ' ' 
depend  very  much  upon  the  balance  in  which  they  are  weighed. 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


137 


I  always  weigh  them  in  the  balance  of  the  sanctuary,  and 
with  reference  to  eternity.  But  if  they  are  graded  according  to 
the  world,  and  solely  in  reference  to  time — the  same  words  will 
differ  very  widely  in  their  meaning.  Which  of  these  scales  do 
you  use,  when  you  prefer  a  good  mind  to  a  good  heart  ?  The 
Bible  says,  "The  heart  of  the  wise  teacheth  his  tongue  and 
addeth  learning  to  his  lips."  It  is  pleasant  to  have  a  powerful 
intellect,  and  to  exercise  a  mental  force  that  shall  be  felt  by  all 
our  compeers  ;  but  considering  all  things,  I  think  I  would  rather 
solicit  from  high  heaven  a  pure  and  holy  heart ;  for  my  dear 
boy  will  find  as  great  a  difficulty  in  making  (or  in  acquiring  in 
the  course  of  time)  a  good  heart  out  of  a  bad  one,  as  he  would 
in  making  a  powerful  and  good  mind  out  of  a  weak  and  inferior 
one.  Let  no  sophistry  delude  thee.  "Every  good  gift,  and 
every  perfect  gift  is  from  above,  and  cometh  down  from  the 
Father  of  light,  with  whom  is  no  variableness,  neither  shadow 
of  turning."  And  a  "poor  mind"  could  get  wisdom  also,  if 
united  to  a  right  state  of  heart.  "  For  if  any  man  lack  wisdom, 
let  him  ask  of  God,  who  giveth  to  all  men  liberally  and  upbraid- 
eth  not."  Thus  you  see.  according  to  my  scales,  yours  might 
not  in  the  end  prove  to  be  a  prudent  and  safe  choice.  I  am  not 
in  the  least  surprised  that  you  should  be  for  a  moment  dazzled 
by  its  apparent  desirableness.  I  wish  you  were  among  us  again. 
I  do  not  like  this  separation  of  children  from  the  home  circle. 
Willie  will  write  to  you  soon  :  he  wonders  what  makes  you  so 
gloomy.  He  says  "He  feels  sad  sometimes,  but  he  don't  know 
why,"  and  he  thinks  you  don't  know  the  cause  either.  Your 
father  says  you  are  like  him,  that  he  used  to  feel  like  you,  and 
often  he  would  sit  by  himself,  and  weep  bitterly ;  it  may  be  con- 
stitutional, and  you  must  not  give  way  to  a  vague,  melancholy 
feeling  ;  try  to  regulate  your  feelings  by  reason,  and  conscience, 
and  prayer.  Seek  to  know  the  true  cause,  and  then  consolation 
will  creep  in,  and  gradually  dissipate  the  gloom.  Abbott  says, 
"It  is  some  secret,  unacknowledged,  discontent  with  ourselves 
which  produces  this  uneasiness.  It  is  unrepented  sin  weighing 
upon  the  conscience,  and  can  only  be  permanently  cured  by  the 
forgiveness  of  God,  and  His  peace  abiding  in  the  soul." 


138     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


If  it  is  the  movement  of  the  Spirit  of  God  upon  your  soul, 
strange  as  it  may  be  to  you,  I  must  rejoice,  and  instead  of  pray- 
ing that  you  may  ''regain  your  spirits,"  I  must  pray  that  you 
may  be  yet  more  unhappy  in  yourself,  until  you  shall  find  peace 
in  Jesus. 

"  None  but  J esus,  none  but  J esus, 

Can  do  helpless  sinners  good." 
"  Cold  as  I  feel  this  heart  of  mine,  yet,  since  I  feel  it  so — 

It  gives  some  signs  of  life  within,  however  low." 

Can  you  sympathize  with  these  lines  ?  Do  you  pray  morning 
and  evening?  You  did  not  reply  to  my  questions  in  my  last 
letter.  Will  you  be  particular  to  reply  to  them  in  your  next? 
Catherine  sends  her  love,  and  now  may  the  "Friend  of  Sinners" 
help  you  in  your  despondency,  and  give  light  to  your  darkness. 
He  is  ever  near  thee  to  cheer.  Thus  prays  your  affectionate 
mother,  Emma  B.  Stork. 

Dear  Charles ;  Mother  has  given  you  the  best  advice.  I  hope 
you  will  receive  it  and  practice  it,  as  it  comes  from  one  that 
loves  you  very  dearly. 

I  used  to  feel  very  sad  when  at  school  away  from  home ;  it 
will  gradually  pass  away.  But,  if  you  do  not  behave  kindly  to 
those  around  you,  and  thus  excite  their  opposition,  you  must 
try  to  behave  better.  You  never  can  expect  to  be  happy  unless 
you  do  right.  And  a  powerful  intellect  without  a  good  heart  is 
an  awful  curse,  instead  of  a  blessing,  "For  what  will  it  profit 
a  man  if  he  gain  the  whole  world  and  lose  his  soul."  You 
must  not  forget  Eternity.  Though  you  are  young,  you  may 
die,  and  what  would  become  of  your  soul  if  you  do  not  seek 
forgiveness  in  the  blood  of  Jesus  ?  Give  your  heart  to  Christ,  and 
then  you  will  be  happy.  I  am  glad  to  hear  of  your  progress  in 
study.  Think  of  our  trip  (next  summer,  if  God  spares  us)  to 
Niagara,  and  cheer  up.  May  God  help  you,  my  dear  Charles, 
and  the  greatest  pleasure  will  be  to  hear  that  you  strive  to  be- 
have well  and  be  good.         Your  affectionate  father, 

T. Stork. 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


139 


FROM  MRS.  E.  B.  STORK  TO  CHARLES,  AT  HARTWICK. 

Philadelphia,  March  29,  1853. 

 There  is  one  alarming  sign  about  your  mental 

taste,  which  grieves  and  disturbs  my  heart  :  it  is  your  fondness 
for  novels,  and  that  you  should  admire  such  writers  as  Bulwer, 
Byron,  and  others  of  like  stamp.  This  occasions  me  much  un- 
easiness, for  I  fear  you  may  imbibe  some  of  the  pernicious  prin- 
ciples which  they  insidiously  inculcate.  You  well  know  they 
were  men  of  immoral  lives,  and  you  would  not  dare  to  associate 
with  such  ;  and  yet  you  like  to  pore  over  their  books  without 
contamination  of  heart.  My  dear  child,  the  Bible  says,  that  no 
fountain  can  send  forth,  at  the  same  time,  both  sweet  and  bitter 
waters,  and  "a  bad  tree  cannot  bring  forth  good  fruit."  I  fear 
you  are  self-deceived  in  this  matter  ;  be  assured  that  this  evil  is 
no  slight  one  against  which  I  would  guard  you  ;  it  may  keep  you 
out  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

I  will  give  you  some  safe  rules,  to  which,  as  you  value  your 
immortal  soul,  I  beseech  you  to  give  heed.  They  are  given 
by  Leigh  Richmond  to  his  children:  " Characters  are  speedily 
discerned  by  their  choice  of  books.  Novels  in  prose  I  need  not 
now  forbid  ;  ignorant  as  you  are  of  their  bad  tendency  by  expe- 
rience, you,  I  am  persuaded,  trust  me  on  that  head,  and  you  will 
never  sacrifice  time,  attention  or  affection  to  them.  But  beware 
of  novels  in  verse.  Poets  are  more  dangerous  than  prose  writers 
when  their  principles  are  bad.  Were  Lord  Byron  no  better  poet 
than  he  is  a  man,  he  might  have  done  little  harm  ;  but  when  a 
bad  man  makes  his  good  poetry  the  vehicle  of  his  bad  sentiments, 
he  does  mischief  by  wholesale." 

The  best  rule  with  regard  to  books  is  this:  "  Books  are  good 
or  bad  in  their  effects  as  they  make  us  relish  the  Word  of  God 
the  more  or  less,  after  we  have  read  them."  Be  cheerful,  but 
not  a  giggler.  Be  serious,  but  not  dull.  Be  communicative,  but 
not  forward.  Be  kind,  but  not  servile.  Remember,  God's  eye 
is  in  every  place,  and  His  ear  in  every  company.  Beware  of 
levity  and  familiarity  with  young  women  ;  a  modest  reserve  is 
the  only  safe  path.  Grace  is  needful  here— ask  for  it  in  prayer. 
Strive  to  maintain  a  praying  mind  through  the  day,  not  only  at 


140    THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


the  usual  stated  periods,  but  everywhere,  and  at  all  times  and  in 
all  companies.  This  is  your  best  preservative  against  error, 
weakness  ;  and  always  remember  that  you  are  in  the  midst  of 
temptations,  and  never  more  so  than  when  pleased  with  out- 
ward objects  and  intercourse.    Pray  and  watch. 

My  dear  Charles,  I  feel  very  serious.  We  have  had  a  season  of 
refreshing  from  the  Great  Head  of  the  Church  upon  our  Luth- 
eran Zion .  Your  dear  father  has  been  greatly  blessed  in  his 
labors,  and  on  Easter  Sunday  he  received  by  baptism  and  con- 
firmation, and  by  profession  and  certificate,  eighty-one  persons 
into  the  church.  It  was  a  solemn  occasion,  and  all  our  hearts 
were  stirred — the  church  was  crowded,  and  settees  were  placed 
in  the  aisles,  and  numbers  could  not  get  in  in  the  morning.  The 
Communion  was  in  the  evening.  The  Saviour  seemed  visibly 
present  among  us,  and  we  trust  it  will  be  a  day  long  to  be  re- 
membered by  us  all.  Oh  !  that  you  had  been  here  to  have  par- 
taken in  the  blessing  ;  but  our  prayers  are  following  you,  and 
we  trust  the  Lord  will  enable  you  to  give  yourself  to  Him  in  an 
everlasting  covenant,  and  to  be  numbered  among  His  saints. 

FROM  MRS.  E.  B.  STORK,  TO  CHARLES,  WHILE  AT  HARTWICK 
SEMINARY,  AND  WHEN  HE  WAS  SIXTEEN  YEARS  OF  AGE. 

Philadelphia,  December  12,  1853. 
My  Dear  Charles  :  I  was  glad  to  hear  from  you,  as  well  as  in- 
terested and  amused  with  your  letter.    I  am  glad  also  that  you 

are  kept  so  busy  with  your  studies  Your  aunt, 

Sarah  Lynch,  mentions  your  having  written  to  their  family,  and 
that  your  amusing  style  of  writing  afforded  them  much  gratifi- 
cation Your  dear  father  is  better,  and  his  book 

(Children  of  the  JSTew  Testament)  will  be  out  to-morrow,  and  I 

hope  he  will  take  a  good  rest  in  body  and  mind  I  am 

sorry  you  will  be  disappointed  in  not  keeping  "  Christmas  at 
home"  this  year,  but  it  will  not  be  so  cheerful  a  one  to  us,  as 
there  are  so  many  of  our  friends  sick  and  dying. 

I  have  no  remedy  for  failing  spirits  and  dark,  melancholy 
hours,  but  active  exertion  in  some  useful  pursuit,  and  prayer  and 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


141 


praise.  "Is  any  one  afflicted,  let  him  pray;  is  any  merry,  let 
him  sing  psalms." 

I  trust  that  my  dear  boy,  amid  the  preparation  and  bustle  of 
this  life,  is  not  forgetting  the  "one  thing  needful." 

(To  the  above  are  appended  a  few  lines  from  the 
father.) 

I  am  now  about  as  usual,  but  I  sometimes  think  that  my 
church  (St.  Mark's,  Philadelphia)  is  too  large  for  the  strength 
of  my  throat.  It  is  with  great  difficulty  I  can  preach  twice  a 
day.    Perhaps  a  different  position  would  suit  me  better. 

******** 

HIS  CONVERSION. 
Reminiscence  of  Dr.  C.  A.  Stork,  by  Dr.  A.  Hiller. 

Dr.  Stork  came  to  Hartwick  Seminary  in  the  fall  of  '51  or  the 
spring  of  '52,  and  remained  here  until  the  close  of  the  summer 
term  of  1854.  He  boarded  in  the  family  of  Dr.  Miller,  and 
some  of  the  Doctor's  children  who  were  home  at  the  time,  and 
were  near  young  Stork's  age,  have  pleasant  memories  of  his 
school-boy  days.  He  was  quite  young  when  his  father  brought 
him  here,  but  soon  became  a  great  favorite.  He  was  good 
company  for  those  of  his  own  age  and  even  his  elders,  was  full 
of  wit  and  humor,  and  after  study  hours  in  the  evening,  he 
joined  heartily  in  the  sports  of  the  youngsters  at  Dr.  Miller's 
house,  his  favorite  game  being  "  Consequences." 

He  was  very  fond  of  reading,  and  always  had  a  book  on  hand 
which  he  managed  to  find  time  to  read  without  neglecting  his 
lessons,  which  he  acquired  very  easily.  In  this  way  he  gathered 
information  rapidly,  and  used  it  to  good  advantage  in  his  de- 
bates in  the  Philophronean  Society,  of  which  he  soon  became  an 
active  member.  I  well  remember  a  very  quaint  and  original 
composition  he  read  on  a  public  occasion  while  here,  on  the 
subject  "The  Last  Man,''''  in  which  he  very  graphically  por- 
trayed the  winding  up  of  the  world's  history,  as  viewed  from  the 
stand-point  of  the  last  surviving  inhabitant.  About  this  time, 
7* 


142    THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


when  his  active  inquiring  mind  was  beginning  to  assume  free- 
dom of  thought  and  speculation  that  had  no  special  regard  to 
orthodoxy,  in  the  good  providence  of  God  he  was  converted  to 
Christ.  I  remember  the  circumstances  very  well.  At  that  time 
it  was  Dr.  Miller's  custom  to  hold  cottage  prayer-meetings  on 
Sabbath  evening  at  the  different  houses  in  the  neighborhood. 
At  one  of  these  meetings,  at  the  house  of  Mr.  D  ,  to  the  sur- 
prise of  all  present,  Miss  M  became  very  deeply  impressed, 

and  with  a  good  deal  of  emotion  arose  and  asked  for  prayers. 

She  was  followed  by  her  associate,  Miss  D  .   This  unexpected 

demonstration  of  the  Spirit's  presence,  sensibly  effected  all  in 
the  room,  not  excepting  young  Stork.  These  two  young  ladies 
who  arose  for  prayer  were  associates  of  his,  with  whom  he  was 
quite  intimate,  one  being  Dr.  Miller's  youngest  daughter.  My 
chum,  Dr.  Magee  and  I,  that  night  when  we  returned  from  the 
meeting,  on  entering  the  Seminary  campus,  heard  some  one 
making  a  good  deal  of  noise  in  the  south  wing  of  the  building, 
and  on  listening  we  discovered  that  it  was  Charley  Stork's  voice. 
He  had  rushed  out  of  the  meeting  ahead  of  us,  and,  as  it  after- 
wards proved,  was  making  this  demonstration  with  the  view  of 
throwing  off  his  conviction.  Dr.  Miller,  on  discovering  the 
presence  of  a  special  religious  interest,  appointed  prayer-meeting 
for  every  evening  during  the  ensuing  week,  and  soon  Charley 
became  so  burdened  with  a  sense  of  personal  guilt,  that  he  went 
to  Dr.  Miller  for  advice.  He  gave  up  his  studies,  and  I  think, 
for  a  week,  Dr.  Miller  talked  and  prayed  with  him  and  gave 
him  suitable  books  to  read.  He  came  in  our  room,  and  Magee 
and  I  talked  and  prayed  with  him,  and  did  what  we  could  to 
lead  him  to  the  Saviour.  For  several  days  he  thus  continued  an 
earnest,  anxious  inquirer,  giving  himself  wholly  to  the  question 
of  his  own  personal  salvation.    It  was  during  this  time  that  the 

prayer-meeting  was  held  at  Squire  D  's,  to  which  Bro.  Magee 

refers  in  his  reminiscence  as  published  in  the  Observer.  It  was 
really  after  several  days  of  patient,  prayerful  seeking,  that 
Charley  (as  we  all  called  him)  found  Jesus. 

On  the  24th  of  December,  1853,  he  was  confirmed  by  Dr. 
Miller,  and  thus  received  as  a  member  of  the  Hartwick  Semi- 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D.  143 


nary  Lutheran  church.  I  don't  think  that  Charley  ever  took  a 
letter  from  this  church  ;  at  least  the  records  do  not  indicate  it. 
The  only  note  appended  to  his  name  is  "removed." 

The  Professors  and  Christian  students  who  were  here  at  that 
time  greatly  rejoiced  when  Charley  Stork  was  converted  to 
Christ,  for  we  saw  that  he  was  a  boy  of  unusual  promise,  and 
that  if  spared  would  be  a  power  in  the  world,  and  we  were 
anxious  that  that  power  should  be  devoted  to  the  cause  of  truth 
and  right  and  to  the  upbuilding  of  the  church. 

REMINISCENCES  OF  DR.  STORK. 

Dr.  Irving  Magee,  of  Rondout,  N.  Y.,  in  a  private  let- 
ter written  on  learning  of  the  death  of  Dr.  Stork,  gives 
the  following  pleasant  reminiscences  of  him  when  they 
were  boys  together  at  college : 

"Not  only  was  Dr.  Stork  a  class-mate  in  Williams,  but  we 
were  room-mates  and  each  other's  most  intimate  friends  all 
through.  We  spent  three  years  together  at  Hartwick  fitting  for 
college.  I  was  there  his  Bible-class  teacher  in  the  Sabbath- 
school,  and  most  intimately  associated  with  his  conversion.  It 
has  always  been,  and  more  so  now,  a  most  precious  thing  to  me, 
that  he  said  to  me  some  ten  years  ago  about  as  follows  :  '  Do 
you  know,  Chum,  that  you  said  the  words  which,  under  God, 
brought  about  my  conversion  ?  You  remember  the  cottage 
prayer-meetings  at  Hartwick.    Well,  after  a  meeting  at  Esquire 

D  's,  as  we  were  coming  out  of  the  gate,  you  took  my  arm 

and  walked  down  to  the  Seminary  and  talked  to  me  about  be- 
coming a  Christian.  It  impressed  me  very  deeply.  I  went  to 
my  room  and  prayed,  and  date  my  conversion  from  that  walk 
and  conversation  with  you.' 

"  He  had  before  mentioned  a  strange  experience  of  that  night. 
He  felt  very  rebellious  and  resistant.  He  had  been  taught 
always  to  read  his  Bible  and  pray  before  retiring.  He  went  to 
his  room  in  a  veritable  tumult  of  leeling.  He  threw  his  hat  in 
one  corner  and  his  coat  in  another,  and  paced  the  floor.  He 
finally  stopped  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  took  out  a  penny,  put 


144     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


his  feet  apart,  and  bending  forward  and  with  a  sort  of  reckless 
wildness  unlike  himself  at  any  other  time,  said  :  '  Heads  I  read, 
tails  I  don't  read' — and  tossed  the  penny.  It  fell  heads.  It 
seemed  as  if  God  had  spoken  to  him  from  the  subdued  manner 
in  which  he  added  :  '  I  took  my  Bible  and  read  and  prayed  and 
gave  myself  to  the  Saviour.' 

"He  was  always  the  same  lovable  fellow  in  college  that  he 
has  always  been  since,  and  was  a  great  favorite  with  every  one. 
I  think  it  will  be  pleasant  for  you  to  know  that  he  was  especially 
such  with  President  Garfield,  who  wTas  with  us  there.  We  were 
members  of  the  same  society,  and  were  frequently  in  each  other's 
rooms.  Charley  was  one  of  the  youngest  and  smallest  boys  in 
college.  I  have  known  Garfield  to  sit  for  long  times  with  his 
arms  about  Charley  in  the  most  lovable  and  brotherly  way.  This 
fondness  continued  till  he  died.  It  is  very  pleasant  to  recall 
them  both  now. 

"We  were  settled  side  by  side,  you  know,  too,  in  Baltimore, 
and  our  relations  were  the  most  intimate,  loving  and  unbroken 
from  first  to  last.  I  never  loved  any  one  more  dearly,  and  he 
was  right  royally  worthy  of  it." 

LETTER  FROM  A  FORMER  HARTWICK  STUDENT,  AT  PRESENT 
ITS  PRINCIPAL. 

When  I  came  here  a  student  twenty  years  ago,  the  traditions 
of  "  Charley  Stork''  were  yet  quite  vivid.  I  remember  the  say- 
ing that  was  common.  "  that  although  Dr.  Theophilus  was  au 
eminent  divine,  yet  that  the  young  Stork  would  fly  higher  than 
the  old  one."  The  habits  of  the  student  Stork  must  have  been 
somewhat  peculiar,  as  I  have  often  heard  that  he  was  not  very 
particular  with  his  person  or  his  clothing  ;  indeed,  it  is  said  that 
Mrs.  Miller  had  to  take  him  in  hand  occasionally  with  regard  to 
his  toilet ;  and  a  lady  speaking  of  him  said,  he  invariably  rolled 
up  his  pants  when  he  was  out,  and  left  them  rolled  up  whereso- 
ever he  was. 

It  is  related  of  him  and  his  three  Philadelphia  friends,  that 
one  Christmas  they  received  a  present  of  each  a  sled,  and  they 
were  put  up  in  the  form  of  a  box,  and  within  were  packed  the 


REV.  CHARLES   A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


145 


various  presents  which  parents  and  friends  sent  for  their  Christ- 
mas presents.  Each  of  the  boys  had  a  special  female  friend,  and 
it  was  the  amusement  of  all  on-lookers  to  see  the  boys  draw 
their  girls  up  and  down  street  on  their  new  sleds. 

It  is  uo  doubt  a  most  fortunate  Providence  that  he  was  con- 
verted here  just  at  the  time  he  was.  He  is  said  to  have  had  at 
that  time  a  remarkably  inquiring  mind,  and  was  never  sat- 
isfied short  of  seeing  the  reason  for  things.  This  tendency,  un- 
balanced by  a  religious  conviction,  was  steadily  leading  him  in- 
to a  mild  skepticism,  and  I  have  often  heard  it  said  that  he 
would  have  made  a  "  first-class  infidel."  It  is,  therefore,  a  very 
gratifying  fact  that  his  mind  was  turned  to  the  truth,  and  he 
saved  to  the  Church  and  the  Gospel.  J.  P. 

The  following  letter  from  a  friend,  although  dated  long 
after  the  occurrence  of  the  events  narrated  in  several  of 
the  preceding  pages,  yet  will  be  adjudged  not  to  be  in- 
appropriately placed  here  : 

In  1873  Dr.  Stork,  jr.,  delivered  a  lecture  to  the  Seminary 
students  at  Gettysburg — I  think  it  was  the  Rice  Lecture .  Among 
other  good  points  he  made  these  :  Personal  piety  a?td  personal 
character,  and  in  a  discussion  that  arose  among  those  present, 
he  maintained,  that  in  order  to  a  successful  ministry  a  man 
must  have  these  two,  i.  e.  there  must  be  a  Christian  man  back 
of  all  natural  and  acquired  endowments,  etc.,  and  then  related 
this:  "The  silent  influence  of  two  men  of  undoubted  Chris- 
tian character  have  had  more  to  do  in  forming  my  character  and 
the  bent  of  my  mental  activity  than  all  others  combined,  so  far 
as  I  can  judge.  These  two  men  were  Rev.  Dr.  G.  B.  Miller,  of 
Hartwick  Seminary,  of  whose  teaching  I  now  remember  noth- 
ing, for  I  was  quite  young  then  yet  when  he  was  my  teacher, 
and  the  President  of  Williams  College,  from  whose  philosophy 
I  dissent  entirely  ;  but  their  godly  characters  have  gone  with 
me  a  silent,  powerful  influence  through  life.''''  This  made  a  deep 
impression  on  the  students  and  all  present.  Dr.  Stork  made 
this  statement  with  great  earnest  emphasis. 


146     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


In  the  afternoon  of  that  same  day  I  called  on  Dr.  Stork,  and 
presented  him  a  steel  engraving  of  Rev.  Dr.  Miller,  such  as  are 
found  in  a  volume  of  Dr.  Miller's  sermons.  Dr.  Stork  recog- 
nized his  old  teacher  at  a  glance,  and  then  repeated  substan- 
tially the  statement  above  given.  I  spent  a  pleasant  hour  with 
the  Doctor  in  pleasant  chat  about  Hartwick  and  its  associations. 
Dr.  Stork  has  left  the  Church  just  such  a  precious  legacy — a 
Christian  character — consecrated  manhood. 

C.  W.  E. 

LETTER  FROM  MRS.  E.  B.  STORK. 

October  31,  1854. 

My  Dear  Charles  :  I  do  feel  thankful  that  you  know 

the  power  of  Jesus'  grace  to  sustain  you,  my  dear  child,  in  your 
conflicts.  Drink  deep  draughts  at  this  fountain  to  sustain  you 
in  this  wilderness,  for,  oh  !  my  child,  you  will  need  it  in  these 
latter  days,  when  "iniquity  abounds" — let  not  "  your  love  grow 
cold,"  for  "he  only  that  endureth  to  the  end  shall  be  saved." 
I  tremble  for  you,  but  I  pray  also,  and  an  Almighty  arm  will 
sustain  you,  and  give  you  the  final  victory.  Persevere  unto  the 
end  and  thou  shalt  be  saved.  I  rejoice  that  you  can  "delight 
thyself  in  the  Lord  (in  the  holy  profession  which  you  have 
chosen),  and  He  will  certainly  give  thee  the  desire  of  thine 
heart,"  and  souls  shall  be  thy  hire  and  reward  in  the  day  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  I  sigh  for  deliverance,  and  in  some  mo- 
ments of  "heaviness  through  manifold  temptations,"  I  could 
fain  wish  we  were  all  safely  landed  upon  the  shores  of  the  heav- 
enly Canaan. 

"But  present  duty  I'll  fulfill, 
And  patient  wait  my  Master's  will." 
"  Though  ai'duous  the  struggle,  't  will  cease  before  long, 
And  then,  oh  !  how  pleasant  the  conqueror's  song." 

"  Resist  the  devil,  and  he  will  flee  from  thee."  Believe,  only 
believe.    "  All  things  are  possible  to  him  that  believeth." 

from  br.  T.  stork  (on  same  sheet). 

Bear  Charles :  I  was  delighted  with  your  last  let- 
ter.   I  trust,  dear  Charles,  you  will  hold  fast  the  profession  of 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


147 


your  faith,  and  let  nothing  move  you.  God  has  promised  that 
His  grace  shall  be  sufficient.  And  that  declaration  of  Christ  con- 
cerning His  love  to  His  disciples — "As  the  Father  hath  loved  me, 
so  have  I  loved  you."  O,  how  precious  is  the  love  of  Jesus  !  We 
will  pray  for  you,  and  if  you  look  to  Jesus  you  shall  never  fall. 

LETTER  FROM  HIS  FATHER. 

My  Dear  Charles  :  I  have  been  so  much  engrossed  with  vari- 
ous extra  duties,  such  as  delivering  lectures  before  various  in- 
stitutes and  societies,  that  I  have  neglected  to  write  to  you  for 
some  time.  I  am  happy  to  hear,  that  although  you  have  evil 
imaginings  and  inward  trials,  you  are  determined  to  persevere. 
If  you  had  not  trials  and  conflicts,  your  conversion  would  be 
suspicious.  For  the  moment  we  decide  for  Christ,  then  will  be- 
gin a  warfare  which  will  have  to  be  waged  with  more  or  less 
severity  through  life.  But  he  that  endures  to  the  end  shall  be 
saved.  "  Be  thou  faithful  unto  death,"  said  Jesus,  "  and  I  will 
give  thee  a  crown  of  life."  He  that  is  for  you  is  greater  than 
all  that  are  against  you.  He  will  not  suffer  you  to  be  tempted 
above  what  you  are  able  to  bear.  Only  look  to  Jesus,  by  faith 
and  prayer.  Hold  fast  the  profession  of  your  faith,  for  He  is 
faithful  that  promised.    You  are  never  forgotten  in  our  prayers. 

It  will  be  necessary  for  you  to  to  begin  to  think  about  when 
you  expect  to  finish  your  collegiate  studies.  What  do  you 
think  of  Gettysburg  now  ?  How  would  you  like  Williams  Col- 
lege? Or  how  would  you  like  to  graduate  in  the  University 
here?  Then  you  could  be  at  home.  It  is  comparatively  a 
matter  of  little  importance  about  the  institution  in  which  a  man 
graduates — for  every  man,  after  all,  must  make  himself,  if  he  is 
ever  to  be  anything.  Of  course  I  mean  under  the  blessing  of 
God.  Please  let  me  know  your  feelings  on  these  points.  In  re- 
gard to  your  studying  for  the  ministry,  you  know  my  senti- 
ments— you  know  that  it  would  afford  me  the  greatest  satis- 
faction, and  that  no  earthly  honors  in  any  sphere  of  human 
station  would  be  as  grateful  to  me  as  to  see  you  a  devoted  and 
respectable  and  useful  minister  of  Christ.    But,  then,  you  must 


148     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


be  influenced  not  by  any  desire  simply  to  gratify  me,  but  you 
sliould  feel  constrained  by  a  conviction  of  duty  and  a  sincere  de- 
sire to  glorify  God.  If  you  sincerely  seek  to  know  the  will  of 
God,  the  path  of  duty  will  be  made  plain. 

ANOTHER  LETTER  FROM  HIS  FATHER. 

Philadelphia,  April  2,  1855. 

My  Dear  Charles :  I  have  seen  from  time  to  time 

notices  of  the  religious  interest  at  Williams  College.  I  rejoice 
that  so  many  of  the  young  have  consecrated  themselves  to 
Christ.  God  grant  that  many  of  them  may  devote  themselves 
to  the  noble  and  Christ-like  work  of  the  ministry  !  I  am  glad, 
too,  that  you  have  shared  in  the  grace,  and  that  your  soul  has 
been  refreshed  and  your  faith  strengthened.  May  you  hold  fast 
to  the  profession  of  your  faith — steadfast  to  the  end. 

I  hope  you  will  make  good  use  of  your  time,  and  prepare 
yourself  well  for  a  "  workman  that  needeth  not  to  be  ashamed 
of  his  work."  The  older  you  grow  the  more  will  your  judgment 
and  conscience  approve  of  the  course  you  have  adopted — the 
more  glorious  will  appear  the  work  of  the  ministry,  and  the 
more  vivid  your  conscious  unworthiness  to  partake  in  such  a 
work — so  Paul  felt,  you  know. 

I  expect  to  return  to  my  church  in  a  few  months,  but  I  trem- 
ble, for  of  late  I  have  had  symptoms  of  my  old  disease.  O  how 
I  wish  you  were  through  and  could  be  associated  with  me;  it 
would  be  a  good  school  for  you,  and  a  great  relief  to  me.  Go 
on — perhaps  I  can,  by  God's  blessing,  hold  on  until  you  are  ready 
to  assist  me. 

LETTER  FROM  CHARLES  AT  WILLIAMS  COLLEGE. 

Williamstown,  May  5,  1855. 

Dear  Mother :  Our  vacation  commenced  a  day  or 

two  ago,  and  already  time  begins  to  hang  heavy  on  my  hands — 
somehow  or  other  I  feel  very  little  inclination  for  study  or  heavy 
reading,  and  light  reading  don't  suit  my  taste  very  well,  so  I 
hardly  know  what  to  do  without  my  regular  duties.  I  suppose 
my  lassitude  comes  in  a  great  measure  from  the  fatigue  of  the 


REV,  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


149 


mind  after  hard  labor— for  the  last  term  is  the  hardest  in  the 
year,  I  believe,  as  we  have  very  close  examinations  at  the  close 
— four  of  these  examinations  I  think  I  can  say  I  came  through 
perfectly,  the  other  two  only  tolerably.  When  I  look  back  over 
the  past  winter  I  feel  very  much  dissatisfied  with  what  I  have 
accomplished.  I  know  I  could  have  done  more  if  I  had  tried,  and 
though  I  am  conscious  that  I  have  advanced  in  some  degree,  I 
feel  that  my  time  has  not  been  improved  as  it  should  have  been  ; 
yet  I  think  it  is  not  always  good  to  look  back  so  despondingly, 
for  though  the  past  may  have  been  ill-spent,  there  is  still  a 
future  to  work  in,  and  I  do  not  know  but  that  this  feeling  of 
time  misspent  urges  us  on  to  greater  exertions.  I  know  it  does 
me,  and  I  feel  that  by  God's  help  I  can  and  will  do  more.  My 
health  has  been  very  good  this  winter,  and  I  think  my  throat 
has  been  affected  less  than  it  has  been  for  some  winters  before^ 
I  am  afraid  however,  when  I  think  of  it,  that  it  will  interfere  a 
great  deal  with  my  labors  as  a  preacher. 

FROM  MRS.  E.  B.  STORK  TO  CHARLES. 

Philadelphia,  March  18,  1850. 

 Your  dear  father  is  better  in  health  and  spirits, 

and  is  entirely  absorbed  in  his  church  and  his  Lord.  He  has  the 
largest  class  of  catechumens  he  has  ever  had,  and  many  inter- 
esting inquirers  among  them  The  Spirit  of  God 

seems  evidently  to  be  with  us  as  a  church,  and  we  all  feel  this 
to  be  a  solemn  and  important  crisis.  Our  praying  people  have 
been  for  months  past  asking  help  of  God.  He  has  mercifully 
appeared  for  our  encouragement.  I  wish  you  were  here.  I 
mourn  your  absence  from  our  home  circle,  but  all  is  well ;  if  we 
are  one  in  Christ,  we  can  never  be  divided  in  heart  communion. 
I  should  be  comforted  if  you  could  find  congenial  spirits  among 
your  companions.  I  think  I  can  fully  sympathize  with  you,  and 
I  am  happy  in  you  as  a  child  of  God.  I  bless  the  Lord  for  lead- 
ing you  more  and  more  out  of  yourself,  and  enabling  you  to 
give  yourself  more  entirely  to  His  service.  It  is  a  glorious 
cause,  and  your  cross-badge  will  be  your  crown-circlet  forever, 
^e  of  good  courage,  and  He  shall  strengthen  thine  heart." 


150    THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


FROM  MRS.  E.  B.  STORK. 

Philadelphia,  Sept.  25,  1856. 

 I  am  pleased  that  you  cherish  home  recollections, 

and  I  think  you  would  feel  very  happy  among  us  now,  when  we 

have  so  many  sources  of  internal  enjoyment  

Father  is  crushingly  busy  as  usual,  and  almost  ready  for  the 
publisher.  His  "  Home  Scenes"  will  appear  at  Christmas.  Be- 
sides this,  he  has  undertaken  to  prepare  a  juvenile  book  for  the 
holidays,  and  he  also  writes  for  the  Home  Journal.  He  is  quite 
too  much  occupied  with  pen  and  ink  for  his  own  comfort.  .  .  . 
.  .  .  I  want  you  to  be  frank  about  every  thing  which  either 
pleases  or  pains  you.  You  may  ever  command  my  sympathy, 
counsel  and  prayers.  How  is  it  about  your  sickness  at  Hart- 
wick?  Were  you  pained  by  old  remembrances,  or  tried  by  the 
jeers  or  reproaches  of  the  heedless  and  frivolous  ?  I  am  glad 
that  you  feel  as  you  do  about  your  life  conflict  to  be  a  man,  and 
resolutely  work  out  your  probation.  Every  noble  heart  feels 
an  earnest  desire  to  acquit  itself  honorably,  and  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  friends.  So  be  hopeful,  my  son,  and  the  ioy  of  the  Lord 
will  be  your  strength.    I  must  leave  a  space  for  father. 

FROM  DR.  T.  STORK  (on  the  same  sheet  with  the  above). 

Your  letter  was  very  gratifying  to  us.  "We  were  glad  to  hear 
you  had  such  a  pleasant  vacation,  and  that  you  were  again  en- 
tered upon  a  pleasant  session. 

I  can  appreciate  your  difficulties  in  regard  to  life.  It  is  a  seri- 
ous thing  to  live.  I  have  almost  as  much  difficulty  now  as  in 
the  beginning,  relative  to  the  questions  which  now  perplex  your 
mind.  It  is  perhaps  best  to  feel  diffident  of  ourselves,  that  we 
may  be  kept  in  constant  and  humble  reliance  upon  God.  You 
will  thus  learn  to  feel  and  say  with  Paul :  "When  I  am  weak, 
then  am  I  strong."  "Without  me,"  says  Christ,  "ye  can  do 
nothing."  But  then  there  is  another  aspect  of  the  subject :  you 
ought  not  allow  too  much  anxiety  about  the  future  to  interfere 
with  your  present  duty  and  enjoyment.  "Sufficient  unto  the 
day  is  the  evil  thereof."  Try  to  meet  present  duty  and  present 
obligation,  and  let  the  future  be,  as  it  is,  with  the  Lord.  The 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


151 


best  way  to  meet  the  future  is  to  fulfill  the  duties  of  the  present ; 
"As thy  day,  so  shall  thy  strength  be.".  If  you  are  faithful  you 
will  never  be  tried  above  what  you  are  able  to  bear.  Only  be 
faithful  to  Christ,  and  he  will  take  care  of  all,  and  make  you  a 
blessing. 

We  are  getting  along  very  pleasantly.  Our  home  is  a  sanc- 
tuary of  innocent  pleasure  and  holy  worship  

I  am  very  busy — two  books  to  come  out  by  Christmas.  Do  not 
trouble  yourself  about  expense,  provided  you  are  reasonably 
economical.  There  is  nothing  I  do  with  greater  pleasure  than 
helping  you  to  your  education  and  preparation  for  life.  Only 
give  me  the  satisfaction  thus  far  granted  in  your  character  and 
deportment,  and  all  will  be  well. 


CHAPTER  II. 


DETERMINES  TO  STUDY  FOR  THE  MINISTRY — JUVENILE  INCI- 
DENT—HOME LETTERS — "WILLIAMS  COLLEGE,  1859 — CHARAC- 
TER AS  STUDENT  —  COLLEGE  LITERARY  PERFORMANCES — 
HESITATES  ABOUT  THE  MINISTRY — FINAL  DECISION — H.  M. 
ALDEN'S  SKETCH — ANDOVER  SEMINARY — CAMPING  OUT — PRI- 
VATE LETTER— DEPLORES  THE  CONDITION  OF  HIS  EYES — HIS 
VIEWS  ON  RESPONSIBILITY — DEJECTION. 

FROM  MRS.  E.  B.  STORK. 

*  *  *  I  am  glad,  dear  Charles,  that  you  feel  your 
own  insufficiency  for  the  momentous  work  to  which  you  have 
devoted  yourself.  A  minister  of  Jesus  should  in  an  especial 
manner  be  transferred  into  the  image  of  his  Lord.  We  are  now 
reading  the  "Mind  of  Jems,"  and  I  wish  I  could  send  you  a  copy 
of  the  work  :  at  the  conclusion  of  each  meditation  is  repeated 
this  motto:  "Arm  yourselves  likewise  with  the  same  mind." 
It  is  a  most  edifying  book. 

In  connection  with  the  declared  intention  of  Charles 
to  become  a  minister  may  be  stated  the  following  little 
incident.  When  he  was  about  fourteen  years  of  age,  his 
father  once  asked  him  what  profession  he  would  choose : 
he  replied,  "  Father,  I  do  not  want  to  be  a  minister,  for 
all  good  people  die  young."  At  a  more  mature  age,  he 
changed  his  mind. 

FROM  MRS.  E.  B.  STORK. 

My  Dear  Charles :  We  received  your  welcome  letter,  aud  I  seize 
a  moment  to  respond.  Your  dear  father  is  too  busy  to  write  ; 
he  has  just  finished  his  proof-reading  of  "Home  Scenes" — and 
is  employed  upon  a  Christmas  book  for  children,  "Childhood  of 

(152) 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORE,  D.  D. 


153 


Jesus."  I  think  they  will  be  line  ;  "Work,  work,  work,"  father 
says  ; — he  don't  get  time  enough  to  sleep,  and  he  designs  some 
one  iceek,  to  make  a  reserve  to  himself  and  sleep  it  out  to  his  con- 
tent and  satisfaction.  How  do  you  think  you  will  relish  such  a 
life  of  constant  activities  ?  Your  friends  will  be  glad  to  see  you, 
and  I  hope  you  will  in  answer  to  our  prayers  be  safely  conducted 
home,  and  find  it  profitable  to  be  among  us  again.  I  hope  you 
are,  with  all  your  wisdom,  wise  concerning  your  habits  and 
health — habit  is  second  nature.  How  is  it  ?  Do  you  obey  the 
laws  of  your  outer  man,  as  well  as  furnish  and  regulate  the  in- 
ward spirit?  It  is  a  very  important  duty — purity  without  and 
purity  within — a  clean  and  wholesome  body  invigorates  and 
refines  the  soul.  Use  regular  exercise  in  the  open  air,  and  re- 
nounce all  stimulants,  tobacco,  coffee,  novels  and  the  like. 
"Purify  the  chambers  of  imagery,"  and  be  a  Levite  without 
blemish,  or  imperfection,  or  rebuke.    "He  that  overcometh 

shall  inherit  all  things."  Our  church  is  now  very 

promising,  and  I  hope  spiritual  blessings  are  in  store  for  her ;  we 
have  a  female  prayer- meeting  at  our  house  on  Saturday  after- 
noon, preparatory  to  the  Sabbath,  and  it  is  a  pleasant  hour  to 
meet  with  Christ  and  His  people.  Trusting  to  meet  you  soon 
in  our  home  circle,  I  close.  "May  the  Lord  bless  you,  and  keep 
you." 

FROM  MRS.  E.  B.  STORK,  PHIL  A.,  1856. 

Your  dear  father  is  better  in  health  and  spirits  ;  he  is  wholly 
absorbed  in  his  Church  and  with  his  Saviour.  He  has  the  largest 
class  he  has  ever  had,  and  many  interesting  cases,  but  yet  there 
are  many  who  harden  themselves  under  all  these  privileges. 
The  Spirit  of  God  seems  evidently  with  us  as  a  church  ;  we  all 
feel  this  to  be  a  solemn  and  important  crisis.  Our  praying 
people  have  been  for  months  past  asking  help  of  God,  and  He 
has  mercifully  appeared  for  our  encouragement  and  reward.  I 
wish  you  were  here.  I  mourn  your  absent  place  from  our  home 
circle,  but  all  is  wTell — if  we  are  one  in  Christ,  we  can  never  be 
divided  in  heart  communion.  I  should  be  comforted  if  you 
could  find  congenial  spirits  and  heart  warmth  among  your  com- 
panions.   I  think  I  can  fully  sympathize  with  you,  and  I  am 


154     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


happy  in  you  as  a  child  of  God.  I  bless  the  Lord  for  leading 
you  more  and  more  out  of  yourself,  and  enabling  you  to  give  up 
yourself  more  entirely  to  His  service.  It  is  a  glorious  cause,  and 
your  cross-badge  will  be  your  crown-circlet  forever  !  "Be  of 
good  courage,"  and  He  shall  strengthen  thine  heart. 

FROM  MRS.  E.  B.  STORK,  OCT.  24,  1856. 

*  *  *  *  I  am  glad  the  time  is  so  near  which  will 
bring  you  once  again  among  us.  I  quite  envy  you  the  lovely 
mountain  scenery  which  regales  your  eyes  whichever  way  you 
look,  with  the  diversified  color  of  the  herbage  and  other  forests. 
I  am  gratified  with  the  affectionate  spirit  which  breathes  through 
your  letters,  and  also  with  the  progress  which  they  evidence  in 
spiritual  things.  Doubtless,  much  of  your  depression  is  con- 
stitutional, but  it  belongs  to  all  feeling  hearts  and  earnest 
spirits,  and  it  is,  as  you  observe,  a  wholesome  influence,  if  not 
excessive  or  morbid,  to  temper  the  innate  vanity  and  levity  of 
the  youthful  heart,  and  to  produce  a  more  thoughtful  and  hum- 
ble character  Your  dear  father  is  much  gratified 

with  your  conduct ;  it  is  a  great  privilege  to  have  your  parents' 
blessing  and  approval  upon  your  opening  years,  and  you  well 
remember  the  promises  to  obedient  sons,  and  you  will  be  en- 
couraged throughout  your  future  life. 

FROM  MRS.  E.  B.  STORK  AT  A  LATER  DATE. 
"I  should  like  your  candid  criticism  upon  my  translations 
from  Chateaubriand,  which  have  appeared  in  the  Home  Journal. 

 I  am  pleased  that  you  cherish  home  recollections, 

and  think  you  would  feel  very  happy  among  us  now  we  have  so 

many  sources  of  internal  enjoyment  Your  father  is 

crushingly  busy  as  usual,  and  his  "  Home  Scenes"  will  come  out 
this  Christmas.  Besides  this,  he  has  to  prepare  a  juvenile  work 
for  the  holidays,  and  writing  for  the  Home  Journal.  He  is  quite 
too  much  occupied  with  pen  and  ink  for  his  own  comfort. 

FROM  THE  SAME,  DEC.  18,  1857. 

*  *      *     *     I  am  rather  disappointed  about  Mrs.  .* 


*  A  popular  writer  of  those  days. 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


155 


What  a  life  influence  she  might  exert  for  her  Saviour,  over  her 
own  flesh  and  blood,  and  also  over  the  young  men  around  her  ; 
how  powerful  such  a  woman  would  be,  if  her  heart  carried  her 
forward  in  this  direction  !  What  is  fame  to  a  mother's  heart 
weeping  over  a  Christless  child  ?  No,  no !  better  one  soul  for 
Jesus  than  a  world  of  empty  plaudits.  One  might  be  tempted 
to  envy  the  one,  but  the  vain  wish  is  silenced  and  reconciled  by 
the  other.  It  is  also  encouraging  to  a  modest,  retiring  spirit,  that 
there  is  not  a  universality  of  greatness  in  all  departments,  and 
that  a  limited  circle  may  be  the  most  useful  as  to  the  final  issue, 
if  faithfully  filled  up,  and  one  is  satisfied  to  work  in  patient  con- 
tinuance in  well  doing. 

AT  WILLIAMS  COLLEGE,  1857. 

Here,  as  at  Hartwick — indeed,  as  at  all  the  schools  he 
ever  attended — he  was  a  universal  favorite  and  maintained 
a  high  rank  for  talent  and  acquirements.  At  Williams, 
he  was  one  of  the  youngest  and  smallest  of  the  students, 
but  he  was  equal  to  all  and  superior  to  many  in  the  pos- 
session of  brains,  love  of  books  and  of  study,  and  dis- 
tinguished for  uprightness  of  character  and  soundness  of 
moral  principles. 

He  there  found  as  a  student  his  old  Hartwick  friend, 
Irving  Magee,  who  had  such  a  decided  influence  upon 
him  in  determining  his  decision  in  favor  of  practical 
Christianity ;  he  also  became  intimate  with  Horace  Scud- 
der,  the  popular  author;  Henry  M.  Alden,  at  present 
connected  with  the  literary  department  of  Harper's 
Weekly  ;  and  with  James  A.  Garfield,  late  President  of 
the  United  States. 

Although  he  had  taken  an  open  and  decided  stand  as 
a  Christian,  he  sometimes  hesitated  as  to  which  profession 
he  should  pursue  for  life,  and  in  his  youthful  inexperi- 


156     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


ence  he  at  one  time  thought  of  studying  law.  But  that 
idea  was  not  cherished  long,  and  just  "before  he  had 
finally  made  up  his  mind  for  the  ministry,  his  father 
writes:  "]n  regard  to  your  studying  for  the  ministry, 
you  know  my  sentiments ;  you  know  it  would  afford  me 
the  greatest  satisfaction,  and  that  no  earthly  honors  in 
any  sphere  of  human  action  would  be  as  grateful  to  me 
as  to  see  you  a  respectable  and  useful  minister  of  Christ. 
But  then  you  must  be  influenced  not  by  any  desire  simply 
to  gratify  me." 

His  father  was  gratified  beyond  expression  at  the  final 
decision  of  his  son,  and  already  began  to  lay  plans  for 
their  mutual  work  in  the  church  field  ;  and  the  delighted 
father  lived  to  see  his  ardent  hopes  realized  in  having 
his  gifted  and  highly  educated  son  as  his  colleague  and 
assistant  in  the  church. 

We  have  a  picture  of  his  college  character  presented 
by  a  fellow-student,  Mr.  Henry  M.  Alden,  of  Harper's 
Weekly,  which  was  furnished  as  an  introductory  article 
to  the  "  Selections"  from  the  writings  of  Dr.  C.  A.  Stork 
by  his  brother,  Theophilus  B.  Stork,  Esq.  Mr.  Alden 
and  Charles  were  intimate  friends,  and  among  many 
other  touching  and  fraternal  observations,  while  speak- 
ing of  his  modesty  and  unostentatious  disposition,  he  says: 

"  He  probably  never  did  anything  in  his  whole  life  with 
the  purpose  of  drawing  attention  to  himself.  He  entered 
into  no  competition  with  his  fellows.  With  unusual  power 
of  expression,  both  as  a  writer  and  as  a  speaker,  he 
showed  no  desire  for  such  expression.  He  had  no  out- 
ward eccentricity,  and  even  his  indifference  to  passing 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


157 


affairs  was  negative  rather  than  positive,  and  escaped 
observation.  He  was  reticent  without  shyness ;  and  what- 
ever may  have  been  his  inner  life,  he  gave  no  outward 
sign  of  it. 

"  In  all  that  makes  up  the  visible  exterior  of  a  man, 
he  was  the  same  from  the  first  to  the  last  observation  I 
had  of  him.  When  he  entered  college,  he  had  in  all 
these  respects  reached  maturity,  although  he  was  almost 
the  youngest  of  his  class.  .  .  .  Though  not  inviting 
notice,  there  were  some  peculiarities  in  his  personal  ap- 
pearance that  would  arrest  the  attention  of  even  a  casual 
observer.  His  features — as  large  as  those  we  notice  in 
the  portraits  of  Beethoven — clearly  showed  his  Teutonic 
paternity;  while  his  mobile  mouth,  his  small  hands — as 
delicate  as  a  woman's — and  the  sensitiveness  that  inter- 
penetrated his  German  phlegm,  as  clearly  showed  that  his 
mother  was  of  the  finer  southern  type.  His  mood  was 
that  of  habitual  thoughtfulness,  usually  contemplative, 
but  under  excitement,  lambent  with  fire  and  humor. 

"His  intellectual  habits  and  tastes  were,  even  at  this 
early  period,  fully  formed.  He  had  read  all  the  great 
books  of  our  literature,  and  his  literary  taste  was  almost 
an  instinct.  He  especially  appreciated  authors  in  whom 
humor  was  a  prominent  characteristic  :  but  his  taste  was 
catholic,  and  he  delighted  in  the  keen  humor  of  Thackeray 
as  well  as  the  broad  caricature  of  Dickens.  In  history 
he  read  those  works  which  interpreted  the  great  drama 
of  human  progress,  caring  little  for  those  which  contained 
annals  only.  The  early  English  poets  were  as  familiar 
to  him  as  the  later. 
8 


158     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 

"I  approach  with  some  difficulty  the  period  of  our 
nearer  acquaintance.  The  memory  of  such  a  friendship 
is  too  sacred  for  expression,  except  in  the  lofty  strains  of 
a  new  '  In  Memoriam.'  It  was  the  ideal  friendship  of  my 
life,  and  its  preciousness  to  me  may  be  understood  from 
the  fact  that  at  that  time  I  had  no  other  intimate  friend. 
It  was  the  characteristic  of  his  generous  nature  that  he 
sought  to  draw  me  out  of  the  solitude  in  which  I  had 
immured  myself.  He  had  few  intimate  personal  friends. 
Among  them  were  James  A.  Garfield,  of  the  class  of  '56, 
and  Horace  E.  Scudder,  of  the  class  of  '57.  Garfield's 
graduation  was  near  at  hand.  I  remember  his  last  even- 
ing at  Williams,  when  a  number  of  us  joined  hands  with 
him  on  the  college  green  and  sang  4  Auld  Lang  Syne.' 
Scudder  was  especially  congenial  to  Stork,  not  only  be- 
cause of  their  intellectual  sympathy,  but  because  each  of 
them  had  a  pure,  sweet  and  wholesome  nature — the 
natural  basis  of  a  manly  and  lasting  friendship. 

u  But  one  year  of  college  life  remained  to  Stork  and 
myself,  and  we  embraced  every  opportunity,  such  as 
friends  always  seek  for  intercourse,  much  of  our  time 
being  spent  in  reading  together  our  favorite  authors. 
Of  modern  writers  the  poet  Tennyson  made  the  strong- 
est impression  on  our  minds.  His  thought — moulded 
after  the  antique,  mediaeval,  or  modern  type — was  at  once 
poetic  and  interpretative.  His  wonderful  rhythm  and 
classic  perfection  of  form  gave  aesthetic  satisfaction,  and 
we  found  in  his  poems  sympathy  with  currents  of  modern 
thought  into  which  we  were  drifting — especially  that  of 
"  honest  doubt."    The  studies  of  the  senior  year  were 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


159 


largely  of  a  speculative  character,  and,  since  these  were 
pursued  under  the  guidance  of  Dr.  Mark  Hopkins,  it  is 
needless  to  add  that  they  developed  independent  thinking. 
But  our  talk  was  not  wholly  of  books  and  metaphysics, 
and  it  is  worthy  of  note  here  that  Stork  loved  to  talk 
about  his  home,  and  about  the  members  of  his  family, 
always  in  terms  of  deepest  affection.  While  then,  and 
always,  I  was  impressed,  by  his  sincerity,  fidelity  and 
earnestness,  I  could  not  but  notice  his  disposition  to  in- 
dulge in  playful  humor.  His  dignity  was  natural,  with- 
out any  stiffness  or  self-consciousness.  He  was  always 
companionable,  and  no  classmate  was  ever  more  popular 
than  he  was. 

"  Among  his  writings  at  this  time,  I  particularly  remem- 
ber an  essay  on  Rhythm,  which  was  published  in  the 
Williams  Quarterly,  and  which  displayed  not  only  his 
extensive  reading  in  English  poetry,  but  also  a  critical 
ability  of  the  highest  order,  because  it  was  interpretative 
and  sympathetic,  as  well  as  keen  in  analysis.  But  as  a 
promise  of  his  literary  future,  a  brief  essay  entitled 
"Winter,"  written  I  believe  while  he  was  preparing  for 
college  at  Hartwick  Seminary,  made  a  stronger  and  more 
lasting  impression  upon  my  mind.  His  winter  landscape 
was  associated  with  Shakespeare's  King  Lear.  Nature 
was  more  to  him  than  books,  but  its  charms  were,  in  his 
mind,  inseparably  connected  with  the  creations  of  the 
master  poets.  He  was  himself  a  poet,  having  much  of 
the  virility  and  dramatic  power  that  distinguish  the 
works  of  Robert  Browning ;  but  he  modestly  regarded 
what  he  did  in  this  field  as  studies  made  for  his  own  sat- 


160     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 

isfaction  rather  than  as  having  any  claim  to  public  recog- 
nition. 

"  In  his  entire  college  career  I  can  recall  but  a  sin- 
gle instance  of  any  public  expression  on  his  part.  It  was 
at  a  meeting  of  the  faculty,  students  and  friends  of  the 
college,  in  recognition  of  some  important  benefaction, 
and  he  had  been  chosen  as  a  speaker  to  represent  his 
class.  He  had  written  nothing  for  recitation  ;  but,  when 
he  came  to  speak,  it  was  evident  that  he  had  let  his  sub- 
ject take  full  possession  of  his  mind,  and  his  address  was 
natural  in  manner,  thoughtful,  eloquent  and  impressive. 

AT  ANDOVER. 

"  A  few  months  after  graduation  we  entered  the  Theo- 
logical Seminary  at  Andover.  He  had  reached  the 
period  when  youth  forecasts  for  itself  a  lofty  career.  It 
is  not  necessary  here  to  indicate  the  plans  we  formed. 
Was  there  ever  youthful  aspiration  that  did  not  grandly 
shape  the  dream  of  the  future — a  dream  never  to  be  re- 
alized ?  The  student  lives  in  a  world  of  his  own — a  world 
in  which  nothing  seems  impossible.  He  will  probably 
do  little  of  all  that  he  then  so  vastly  determines.  He 
soon  enters  another  world,  in  which  duty  takes  the  place 
of  aspiration  ;  and,  if  he  follows  this  new  guide,  he  finds 
later  on  that  the  work  really  undertaken  and  accomplished 
is,  after  all,  greater  than  his  early  dream.  Yet  I  am  sure 
that  neither  of  us  ever  afterwards  regretted  the  studies  in 
Greek  literature,  in  the  history  of  philosophy  and  the 
philosophy  of  history,  that  occupied  us  at  the  Seminary. 

"  If  in  connection  with  these  studies,  the  spirit  and  ac- 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


161 


tive  exercise  of  doubt  were  developed,  they  were  natu- 
rally incident  to  the  intellectual  period  upon  which  we 
had  entered.  All  discords  were  afterward  resolved. 
Until  the  component  parts  of  the  mind's  object-glass 
are  fitly  joined  together,  there  must  be  mental  aberration. 
But  those  who  read  the  "  Selections"  from  his  writings 
will  find  there  no  indication  of  such  aberration.  It  will  be 
clear  to  the  reader,  that  whatever  mental  struggles  he 
may  have  passed  through,  after  the  conflict  his  Saviour 
remained  to  him  the  one  great  real  presence  of  his  life." 

His  brother,  in  the  brief  sketch  of  Charles'  life  pre- 
fixed to  the  "  Selections,"  gives  the  following  incident 
as  illustrating  a  strongly  characteristic  trait,  his  love  and 
sensibility  to  natural  beauty.  It  seems  that  during  one 
of  his  vacations  he  tried  the  boyish  adventure  of  camping 
out  in  the  woods  ;  but  being,  as  he  himself  confesses,  no 
great  woodsman,  he  met  with  indifferent  success.  In  a 
letter  to  his  father,  he  says  that  he  was  wet  to  the  skin 
with  rain,  he  knew  not  how  to  cook  the  fish  he  had  caught, 
and  was  very  glad  to  return  to  civilization,  scorched  by 
fire,  with  bruised  legs  and  blistered  hands  :  "  There  is  one 
lesson,"  he  adds,  "I  learned,  however,  that  was  worth  it 
all,  and  that  is  the  grandeur  and  solemnity  of  solitude  in 
the  nights.  I  used  to  lie  and  listen  to  the  lapping  of  the 
waters  on  the  shores  of  the  lakes,  and  the  moaning  of  the 
wind  in  the  forest,  and  look  at  the  stars  shining  so  silently 
and  steadily,  until  I  was  really  oppressed  with  the  solem- 
nity of  the  solitary  night;  .  .  .  there  are  many  things 
a  man  may  learn  from  nature,  if  he  will ;  .  .  .  I  get 
sometimes  an  overpowering  sense  of  the  careful  working 


162     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


of  God  through  all  these  vast  scenes  of  nature.  It  seems 
like  standing  in  His  very  presence,  to  watch  the  changes 
and  all  the  movements  of  a  strong  summer  day,  for  it  sets 
before  us  His  immediate  workings  for  us  and  to  us." 

Andover,  August,  1858. 

 You  speak  of  my  early  experience,  mother,  and 

ask  for  it ;  but  I  cannot  remember  my  life  so  early  as  the  age  of 
four.  My  earliest  connected  recollections  of  life  are  of  my 
school  days  in  Winchester ;  before  that  I  can  recall  only  snatches 
and  glimpses  of  days  and  weeks  with  no  connection.  But  of  my 
life  in  Winchester  I  can  say,  that  it  was  neither  happy  in  the 
spending  nor  profitable  in  the  results.  I  missed  very  much  the 
kindness  and  care  of  a  mother,  and  all  the  genial  influences  of 
a  home.  I  was  thrown  among  boys  of  my  own  age  when  I  was 
too  young  to  learn  anything  from  any  life  with  them.  When  I 
needed  all  the  restraining  influences  of  parents,  I  was  left  too 
much  to  my  own  foolish  guidance  ;  and  when  I  was  too  inexperi- 
enced to  form  any  purpose  of  my  own,  I  had  none  to  direct  me. 
.  ...  To  compensate  for  all  these  losses  and  injurious  influences, 
all  that  I  can  now  reckon  up  is  a  fine  grounding  in  the  rudiments 
of  Latin.  I  cannot  in  a  letter,  mother,  say  all  that  I  might  about 
the  comparative  advantages  of  an  academic  or  a  home  education 
in  early  life.  The  whole  question,  too,  depends  so  much  upon 
fortuitous  circumstances  that  no  direct  answer  can  be  given — 
such  as  the  character  of  the  person,  the  surroundings  that  he 
would  have  in  his  home  life,  etc. 

But  I  can  see  no  reason  myself  why  a  child  should  leave  a 
home  that  is  good,  for  a  school,  earlier  than  the  age  of  eighteen. 
Before  that  age  he  will  not  have  known  nature  enough  to  profit 
by  a  life  among  men,  which,  as  I  see  the  college  life,  is  after  all 
the  greatest  advantage  it  offers.  Before  that  age  he  can  learn  all 
that  is  necessary  at  home,  and  before  that  age  he  should  be  sur- 
rounded with  all  the  kindly  and  genial  influences  of  home.  But 
I  think  a  college  course  indispensable  to  the  educated  man.  He 
must  at  some  time  spend  much  time  in  study  and  thought  alone  ; 
he  must  learn  what  his  fellow-men  are  ;  he  must  live  with  them, 


REV.  CHAKLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


163 


dependent  upon  himself  alone  for  his  position  and  influence 
among  them  ;  and  I  know  no  better  place  for  this  than  the  col- 
lege, with  all  its  defects  of  incomplete  courses  of  study  and  gath- 
ering of  many  bad  men.  But  this  is  all  rather  premature  for 
little  Theo. :  he  has  many  years  of  happy  childhood,  that  may  be 
more  to  him  in  all  his  life  than  any  college  course.  Let  his  life 
be  pure  and  happy  now,  and  he  will  not  mar  it  much  when  he 
comes  to  be  a  man.  And  after  all  it  comes  to  this — what  will  the 
person  do  himself?  Will  he  be  pure,  and  live  a  child  of  God, 
trusting  in  God  as  his  Father,  or  will  he  not?  And  the  respon- 
sibility of  the  issue  of  his  life  passes  from  us  to  himself.  It 
often  seems  sad,  even  bitter,  that  the  shaping  of  the  life  of  some 
dear  one  rests  not  in  our  hands  ;  but  the  responsibility  of  our 

own  life  is  enough  for  each  one  of  us  and  there,  in 

all  the  solemnity  of  life,  each  man  for  himself  shaping  a  life 
that  will  either  be  a  life  with  God,  that  is  joy  and  peace  to  the 
man  himself  and  a  rich  blessing  to  men,  or  a  life  apart  from 
God,  altogether  vain  and  worthless,  that  brings  to  men  the 
curse  of  vanity  and  sin,  and  is  to  him  that  lives  it  in  the  end 

only  shame  and  unavailing  remorse  

Your  affectionate  son,  Charles  Stork. 

Andover  Seminary,  September  7,  1858. 
Dear  Father  *  *  *  My  vacation  too  is  almost  spent ; 
and  I  am  heartily  glad  of  it.  You  have  no  idea,  father,  how 
lonely,  how  tedious  it  has  been  for  the  last  five  weeks.  All  the 
walks  about  the  town  for  three  or  four  miles  I  have  gone  over 
again  and  again,  till  I  became  sick  of  the  sight  of  the  familiar  ob- 
jects. I  tried  camping  out  in  the  woods  on  the  shores  of  a  large 
pond — but  both  times  I  got  wet  through  with  rain,  had  to  sleep 
in  wet  clothes  and  live  on  pork  and  crackers  and  the  fish  we 
caught,  which  after  we  caught  we  did  not  know  how  to  cook. 
On  this  same  expedition  I  bruised  my  legs  and  blistered  my 
hands,  and  dried  and  blackened  myself  over  the  fire  and  in  the 
sun  till  I  was  not  fit  to  be  seen.  I  think  I  shall  not  forego  the 
comforts  of  civilized  life  very  soon  again  for  adventures  in  the 
woods.  We  just  brought  home  this  morning  the  last  of  our 
camp  furniture,  consisting  of  two  blankets,  a  frying-pan,  axe 


164     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


and  hoe,  and  a  sheet  of  canvass  that  served  as  the  roof  of  our 
hut. 

There  is  one  tiling  I  learned,  however,  that  was  worth  it  all, 
and  that  is  the  grandeur  and  solemnity  of  solitude  in  the  night. 
I  used  to  lie  and  listen  to  the  lapping  of  the  waters  on  the  shores 
of  the  lake,  and  the  moaning  of  the  winds  in  the  forest,  and 
look  at  the  stars  shining  so  silently  and  steadily,  till  I  was  really 
oppressed  with  the  solemnity  of  the  solitary  night.  Ah  !  father, 
there  are  many  things  a  man  may  learn  from  nature  if  he  will — 
if  he  will  be  ready  to  see  how  God  works  in  His  wondrous  ways. 
I  get  sometimes  an  overpowering  sense  of  the  careful  and  con- 
tinued working  of  God  through  all  these  scenes  of  nature.  It 
seems  like  standing  in  His  very  presence  to  watch  the  changes 
and  all  the  movement  of  a  full  and  strong  summer  day  ;  for  it 
sets  before  us  His  immediate  workings  for  us  and  to  us,  appeal- 
ing to  us  with  all  the  perfection  and  glory  of  His  works  to  be 
like  Him  in  our  life. 

But,  after  all,  one  must  have  some  human  life  and  human 
sympathy,  and  plenty  of  it  too.  Byron  and  Moore  had  very 
narrow  conceptions  of  the  worth  and  power  of  human  sympathy 
— when  they  talked  about  living  alone  with  some  one  person — 
the  family,  not  the  man  and  wife  alone — the  community,  the 
people.  We  must  work  for  and  with  the  many,  and  for  my 
part  I  want  to  live  with  them  too  as  much  as  I  can.  So  here  is 
another  reason  for  being  tired  of  vacation.  I  don't  know  any- 
body here,  and  I  am  almost  alone  ;  but  when  the  students  come 
back,  and  when  I  can  get  at  my  books  again,  I  shall  be  satisfied 
— for  my  books  are  to  me  what  men  often  fail  to  be,  friends 
who  have  lived  fine  lives  and  with  whom  I  have  a  common 
sympathy.  You  will  know  by  this  what  books  I  am  reading — 
the  books  of  men  that  have  lived  fine  lives  either  of  thought  or 
action.  Homer  and  Plato  I  read  last  summer.  I  hope  to  do  a 
great  deal  this  winter ;  though  it  may  be  like  all  my  years  have 
been — at  the  opening  full  of  rich  promise  and  strong  hope  of 
good  to  myself,  and  through  the  purification  and  strengthening 
of  myself,  to  men — and  at  the  closing  sad  with  the  remembrance 
of  little  done  and  much  lost. 


REV.  CHARLES  A.   STORK,  D.  D. 


165 


The  following  letter  is  without  date  or  place,  but  evi- 
dently written  in  New  York  to  a  special  friend  in  An- 
dover : 

I  suppose  you  think  it  a  small  thing  to  say  "  Good  morning," 
but  I  know  persons  whose  manner  (and  manner  is  the  truest 
speech)  in  even  that  little  thing  was  full  of  fine  meaning.  ' '  Good 
morning"  from  them  was  a  charming  poem,  or  a  snatch  of  wel- 
come song  ;  it  meant :  "Here  we  come  to  a  new  day  of  glorious 
life  :  we  will  live  like  men  to-day,  and  sympathize  in  all  that 
comes  to  us." 

Want  some  news  about  myself?  Would  you  like  to  know 
what  time  I  get  up  ?  What  I  have  for  breakfast  ?  How  many 
miles  I  walk  in  a  day  ?  That's  what  most  biographies  are  made 
of;  the  pious  ones  tell  how  many  times  the  subject  attended 
prayer-meeting,  and  what  he  said  there.  Adventures?  W^e 
don't  have  any  adventures  in  this  part  of  the  world  except  vul- 
gar ones  :  for  instance,  the  other  day  as  I  was  crossing  a  street 
through  a  great  crowel  of  people  and  carriages,  a  man  made  a 
snatch  at  my  watch  ;  fortunately  the  guard  was  strung  so  that 
I  caught  his  arm  before  he  broke  it.  I  had  some  notion  of 
handing  him  over  to  the  police,  but  on  second  thought,  as  he 
was  better  dressed  and  infinitely  more  respectable  in  appearance 
than  I,  I  was  afraid  the  police  might  take  me  for  the  offender, 
so  I  let  him  go. 

I  am  making  the  best  of  the  city  ;  but  it  is  a  horrid  place.  I 
would  give  all  New  York,  its  sights,  luxuries,  stores  and  gal- 
leries, for  a  quiet  lane  in  Andover,  or  an  evening  on  the  back 
road  to  the  Seminary,  looking  at  the  sunset. 

A  LETTER  FROM  CHARLES  TO  HIS  FATHER. 

Andover,  Oct.  23,  1858. 
Dear  Father :  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  my  eyes  are  worse.  They 
seem  to  vacillate  between  health  and  disease.  I  have  to  write 
without  looking  at  the  paper,  so  you  must  make  all  allowance 
for  straggling  of  lines,  running  together  of  words,  and  also  for 
brevity.  My  health  otherwise  is  in  fine  condition.  I  am  strong 
8* 


t 


166     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 

and  vigorous  ;  and  body  and  mind,  in  spite  of  my  eyes,  do  a 
great  deal  of  work.  I  am  afraid  I  shall  have  to  abandon  all 
hope  of  using  my  eyes  very  much — all  my  cherished  hopes  of 
being  a  Christian  scholar,  as  well  as  minister,  are  dying  in  me 
by  inches.  It  is  very  hard  to  think  it  must  be  so,  but,  perhaps, 
it  is  for  the  better.  I  intend  to  preach  without  notes.  I  fear  it 
will  be  hard  work,  but  I  must  learn  to  do  it.  I  shall  have  to 
hire  some  one  to  read  to  me  what  is  absolutely  necessary.  The 
rest  of  my  w  ork  I  must  do  by  mere  dint  of  thinking  and  original 
creation.  I  do  not  despair  at  all  of  final  success.  This  is  the 
worst  view  of  the  case.  I  may  recover  my  eyes,  but  I  do  not  set 
my  hopes  on  them.  You  see  I  face  the  evil  as  cheerfully  as  I 
can  ;  but  my  courage  is  not  always  so  good,  I  often  despond 
and  think  I  must  be  useless  and  worthless  in  the  world. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  he  wrote  the  following 
letter,  and  it  sounds  strangely  to  hear  a  young  man  of 
twenty-one  speak  in  this  style  of  the  weight  of  human 
responsibility  ;  but  he  was  a  mature  man  long  before  many 
others  older  in  years  than  he  was,  and  of  a  sensibility  the 
most  delicate  and  refined.  But,  no  doubt,  his  tendency  to 
melancholy  brought  out  these  expressions,  if  they  were 
not  themselves  that  melancholy  : 

February  21,  1859. 
But  you  have  no  idea  how  this  longing  for  freedom  from  respon- 
sibility grows  upon  me.  It  tortures  me  beyond  measure.  Some- 
times I  feel  as  if  I  could  be  anything — a  slave,  a  day  laborer — 
to  be  rid  of  this  ever-present  sense  of  responsibility  to  men.  My 
knowledge,  my  studies,  all  my  long  years  of  thought,  only  make 
my  obligations  the  wider  and  the  deeper  ;  and  yet  the  more  I  see 
of  what  is  to  be  done,  and  what  I  can  do,  the  more  do  I  shrink 
from  the  work.  I  suppose  I  must  show  it  in  my  manner.  S — 
once  said  to  me,  "  Stork,  you  will  excuse  my  impertinence,  but 
really,  with  all  your  learning  and  ability,  I  don't  believe  you 
will  ever  be  anything  in  the  world."    I  was,  I  confess,  some- 


EEV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


167 


what  startled  by  this,  for  it  seemed  to  confirm  what  I  had  already- 
suspected  in  myself.  But  I  don't  think  he  was  altogether  right. 
Pleasant,  indeed,  would  it  be  to  live  in  a  golden  ease,  and  hard 
indeed  does  life  look  to  me  ;  and  yet  I  shall  work  and  never  fear. 
This  is  weakness,  you  say.  Yes,  God  knows  I  am  weak  enough, 
though  not  where  men  think  me  so  ;  I  am  not  weak  to  yield  to 
temptation,  but  I  am  weak  to  shrink  from  the  labor,  even  while 
I  take  it  for  my  portion,  i  am  so  weak  that  I  am  miserable  half 
the  time  from  the  struggle  it  costs  me  to  hold  to  my  purpose. 
I  never  would  make  a  triumphant  martyr  ;  if  I  went  to  the  stake 
it  would  be  with  bowed  head  and  a  desponding  spirit ;  but  I 
should  go  nevertheless. 


CHAPTER  III. 


AT  NEWBERRY,  S.  C. — SORE  EYES — GOES  TO  BERLIN  FOR  TREAT- 
MENT— ST.  JAMES'  MISSION  IN  PHILADELPHIA — ASSISTANT  TO 
HIS  FATHER  IN  BALTIMORE — MODE  OF  PREACHING — LEARNS 
TO  EXTEMPORIZE — CALL  TO  ST.  MARK'S — LETTER  FROM  THE 
COUNCIL — ACCEPTS  AND  HIS  REPLY — HIS  MARRIAGE — CALL  TO 
PENNSYLVANIA  COLLEGE  AND  SEMINARY  —  DECLINES  —  DE- 
SCRIPTIVE LETTER. 

TO  NEWBERRY,  S.  0.,  1859. 

CHARLES'  father,  as  we  have  already  seen,  was  of- 
fered the  Presidency  of  a  college  recently  established 
in  Newberry,  S.  C,  by  our  Synod  of  that  State,  which  he 
accepted .  In  February,  1859,  they  arrived  at  that  place, 
in  company  with  Dr.  Brown,  the  professor  of  theology. 
Charles  was  professor  of  Greek,  and  few  young  men  of 
his  age  in  the  country  were  better  fitted  for  that  position. 
He  had  been  a  hard  student  of  languages  for  years,  and 
made  himself  familiar  with  them. 

The  civil  war  compelled  the  whole  of  the  Northern 
professors  to  abandon  their  educational  work  at  Newberry 
in  less  than  a  year,  and  they  returned  home.  The  eyes 
of  Charles  had  been  injured  by  hard  study,  and  he  was 
induced  to  go  to  Berlin  to  avail  himself  of  the  skill  of  the 
celebrated  oculist,  Dr.  von  Graefe.  After  six  months' 
treatment,  Charles  was  dismissed  as  cured,  upon  which  he 
came  back  to  the  United  States.    Soon  after  his  return 

(168) 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


169 


he  took  charge  for  several  months  of  St.  James'  Lutheran 
Mission  in  Philadelphia. 

The  following  two  letters  describe  his  experience  in 
Europe : 

Hamburg,  March  5th,  1861. 
My  Dear  R — :  Well,  I  have  made  another  journey  and  had 
another  fit  of  sea  sickness  ;  and  here  I  am,  sitting  in  my  room  in 
the  3d  etage  (so  they  call  the  3d  story  of  a  German  hotel),  with 
a  German  waiter  talking  to  my  traveling  companion  at  a  terrible 
rate.  We  were  six  hours  crossing  England,  from  Liverpool  to 
Hull,  through  a  most  beautiful  varied  country — first  was  the 
low,  flat  country,  looking  like  a  garden,  dotted  with  beautiful 
country  seats,  old  farm-houses,  and  beautiful  English  villages ; 
then  comes  the  rough,  hill  country  of  Yorkshire  (by  the  way, 
I  passed  within  six  miles  of  Haworth,  the  home  of  Charlotte 
Bronte).  These  wild  hills  and  barren  moors,  you  know,  are  the 
scene  of  her  Shirley  and  her  sister's  Midfell  Hall  and  Wuther- 
ing  Heights  :  as  we  rushed  through  the  passes  and  along  the  sides 
of  the  hills,  I  could  almost  fancy  I  saw  Markham  riding  up  to  Mrs. 
Graham's  house.  You  can  imagine,  how  like  a  fairy  dream 
everything  seemed  to  me — the  bleak  moors  with  the  quaint  old 
English  farm-houses  on  their  borders,  the  jagged  cliffs,  the  bleak 
uplands,  the  dark  valleys,  with  the  torrents  rushing  through 
them.  I  saw  only  one  old  castle,  and  that  was  a  grand  pile.  I 
think  that  six  hours'  ride  was  the  shortest,  most  crowded  with 
intense  feeling,  I  ever  had.  I  didn't  know  I  could  be  so  affected 
— all  it  wanted  for  perfect  happiness  was  you  by  my  side  to  see 
with  me  and  feel  with  me  ;  but  I  associated  you  with  everything 
I  saw — each  beautiful  thing,  every  scene,  suggested  something  to 
tell  you  ;  and  tell  you  by  word  of  mouth  I  must,  for  writing  it  is 
out  of  the  question — one  sees  too  much  even  to  tell.  Do  you  know 
I  couldn't  get  Maggie  on  the  Mill  and  the  Floss  out  of  my  mind, 
all  the  time,  especially  after  I  had  seen  an  old  mill  that  would 
have  answered  exactly  for  Dorlcote  Mill.  By  the  way,  I  have 
heard  some  of  the  life  of  Miss  Evans  (George  Eliot),  which  throws 
a  new  light,  and  one  full  of  interest,  on  the  subject  we  discussed 


170     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


so  warmly.  We  got  to  Hull  after  dark  and  went  to  a  veritable 
old  English  inn,  where  the  landlady  came  out  to  the  door 
to  welcome  us  in,  where  we  took  supper  in  the  travel- 
ers' room  and  breakfast  in  the  commercial  room,  where  we 
slept  in  a  curtained  bed  and  had  to  pay  a  sixpence  to  the 
Boots,  where  I  went  into  the  tap-room  and  called  for  a  long 
pipe,  such  as  Tony  Weller  used  to  smoke,  and  a  tankard  of  ale 
such  as  Sam  Weller  used  to  drink,  all  to  serve  as  an  illustration 
with  my  next  reading  of  Dickens  with  you.  Hull  is  an  old 
rambling  town,  running  over  with  oranges  as  cheap  as  can  be, 
and  fish.  Everything  is  old  and  dingy,  and  the  streets  are  more 
crooked  and  narrow  than  those  of  Boston.  I  spent  an  hour  in 
the  old  church,  the  largest  but  one  in  Great  Britain,  and  over 
five  hundred  years  old  ;  it  is  full  of  curious  and  beautiful  things, 
to  say  nothing  of  the  fine  Gothic  architecture.  It  was  the  first 
genuine  old  Gothic  church  building  I  had  ever  seen,  and  yet 
somehow  it  seemed  very  familiar.  I  knew  where  everything 
was  to  be  found,  and  recognized  many  things  as  old  familiar 
friends.  The  choir  were  chanting  when  I  went  in,  and  the  effect 
of  the  music  (very  fine  music  by  the  way),  sounding  through  the 
old  aisles,  while  the  sun  streamed  through  the  great  painted 
window  in  the  east  on  to  the  memorial  tablets  with  which  the 
church  is  paved,  was  very  strange.  This  realization  of  all  I 
have  thought  and  dreamt  of,  England  and  her  memorial  archi- 
tecture, is  a  continual  wonder  to  me — it  seems  a  dream  and  no 
real  thing.  The  church  is  about  as  large  as  halt  dozen  of  the 
Old  South,  with  a  vast  vaulted  roof  of  stone  supported  on  colon- 
nades of  the  slender  groups  of  Gothic  columns,  such  as  you  see 
in  pictures  of  so  many  old  churches.  The  floor  is  paved  and  the 
walls  are  completely  covered  with  memorial  tablets,  some  of 
the  quaintest  sort.  In  niches  are  stone  effigies  of  life  size, 
stretched  at  length  with  hands  folded  on  their  breasts.  You 
cannot  imagine  what  a  sense  of  peaceful  rest  one  breathes  in 
from  these  calm  stone  statues  that  have  lain  so  long  with  hands 
clasped  in  rest  from  all  toil.  I  thought  I  would  tell  you  of 
Hamburg  while  in  the  place,  but  I  find  I  must  wait  till  I  get  to 
Berlin. 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


171 


Berlin,  March  6th,  1861. 
Another  German  inn,  with  its  discomforts,  and  not  least  the  in- 
ability of  the  servants  to  talk  anything  but  German  (I  have  just 
succeeded  by  great  exertion  in  getting  a  pen).  Well,  it's  five 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  (eleven  in  the  morning  with  you),  and 
I  have  trotted  around  the  city  till  I  am  tired ;  but  to  begin 
where  I  left  off — I  was  most  gloriously  sea-sick  again  between 
Hull  and  Hamburg  ;  but  the  sight  of  land  cures  that.  Ham- 
burg is  a  dirty,  crooked  town,  half  old  and  half  new.  Some 
of  the  streets  look  like  American  streets,  and  some  are  so 
old  that  they  have  no  sidewalks,  only  the  street  shelving 
from  both  sides  to  the  gutter  in  the  middle,  and  narrow  at 
that,  with  each  story  reaching  farther  out  than  the  one  below 
it,  till  the  tops  of  the  houses  nearly  touch.  But  I  am  tired  of 
writing  descriptions.  I  must  write  of  myself.  I  can  tell  you  all 
when  I  get  back,  and  I  know  you  want  to  hear  more  of  myself. 
I  have  seen  Dr.  Graefe,  and  he  has  put  me  into  his  infirmary, 
a  large  building  that  looks  very  much  like  a  poor-house,  where 
he  keeps  all  his  foreign  patients.  He  visits  us  once  a  day.  He 
has  people  here  from  every  part  of  the  world,  and  he  effects  the 
most  wonderful  cures — he  has  just  cured  a  man  from  America 
who  came  to  him  perfectly  blind.  He  is  a  tall,  noble-looking 
man,  of  about  thirty-three,  nervous  and  restless  ;  he  rushes  into 
my  room,  looks  at  my  eyes  a  minute,  asks  me  one  or  two  ques- 
tions, and  then  bolts  out  again.  He  never  says  much  ;  he  seems 
to  gather  all  he  wants  to  know  of  my  case  by  looking  at  my 
eyes.  His  first  prescription  was  a  pair  of  spectacles.  He  hasn't 
told  me  yet  what  he  thinks  of  my  case,  and  all  his  patients  tell 
me  that  he  always  discourages  one  at  first ;  if  there  is  the  slight- 
est chance  that  he  cannot  help  you,  he  says  he  is  afraid  he  can 
do  nothing  ;  but  one  thing  is  certain,  acknowledged  by  all  the 
oculists  of  England,  Germany  and  France,  that  if  Graefe  can- 
not cure  you,  no  one  in  this  world  can.  He  is  one  of  the  distin- 
guished men  of  Berlin,  his  picture  is  in  every  paint-shop  win- 
dow, and  everybody  in  the  city  knows  him  and  talks  about  him. 
He  has  about  one  hundred  patients  in  his  infirmary  ;  he  has  fifty 
students  attending  his  clinical  lecture  ;  he  operates  every  day 


172     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


on  about  thirty  people,  and  when  I  called  on  him  to  consult  him 
his  room  was  crowded.  He  speaks  broken  English  in  the  most 
comical  manner.  Sometimes  when  he  comes  in,  he  says  good- 
by  instead  of  good  morning  ;  he  tells  me  to  be  very  precocious — 
meaning  very  cautious — and  a  hundred  other  things  of  the  same 
sort.  I  told  him  about  the  hairs,  but  he  says  that's  not  the 
trouble.    He  makes  me  read  with  my  spectacles  an  hour  and  a 

half  a  day,  but  he  rather  objects  to  my  writing  

I  am  home-sick — it's  a  new  thing  for  me,  but  so  it  is.  When  I 
get  out  of  Graefe's  hands  I  shall  come  home.  Travelling  is  all 
very  well,  but  if  I  have  my  books  and  friends  at  home,  I  can  let 
slip  Rome  and  Athens.  There  are  finer  things  in  this  world 
than  cathedrals  and  picture  galleries,  than  the  Rhine  and  Swit- 
zerland, and  one's  own  home  is  better  than  all  the  rest  of  the 
earth.    I  want  to  see  you  very  much. 

Ever  yours,  Charlie. 

Berlin,  March  11,  1861. 

My  Dear  R  .  I  wish  you  could  see  me  in  my  little  room  in 

this  eye-infirmary.  It  is  a  comfortable  place,  well  furnished 
after  the  German  fashion,  but  very  dreary  withal.  Oh,  I  do  get 
so  terribly  home-sick,  and  sick  of  myself  and  my  eyes.  Every- 
body I  see  have  their  eyes  bandaged  or  sore  ;  nothing  is  talked 
of  but  eyes,  and  in  short,  one  would  think  the  whole  end  of 
being  was  to  cure  one's  eyes.  They  keep  us  on  short  allowance 
of  food ;  for  breakfast,  absolutely  nothing  but  two  pieces  of 
bread  without  butter  and  a  cup  of  coffee ;  for  supper,  the  same ; 
and  dinner,  meat  and  potatoes,  dessert,  pastry,  puddings,  cake, 
pickles,  preserves,  are  things  unknown.  I  don't  care  for  that, 
however.  But  the  German  beds — I  don't  know  how  they  man- 
age to  live  in  the  summer  with  them — the  whole  of  the  bed- 
clothes  consists  of  two  large  feather  beds  put  into  cases  like 
two  immense  pillows,  and  between  those  you  are  expected  to 
sleep — not  a  sheet  nor  blanket — isn't  that  pleasant  ? 

The  Doctor  won't  tell  me  anything  about  my  case — he  never 
tells  any  one,  and  I  am  sure  I  can't  tell  yet  myself.  I  read  with 
spectacles  an  hour  or  two  a  day,  take  pills,  use  ointment,  salt- 
water baths,  etc.,  etc.   They  are  very  easy  about  regimen  ;  I  can 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


173 


smoke,  go  to  the  opera,  sit  in  the  most  brilliant  light,  and  do 
what  else  I  please. 

March  12. 

I  went  last  night  to  hear  Beethoven's  "Fidelio  ;"  the  orches- 
tra, though  small  for  Germany  (60  in  number),  was  perfect — it  is 
considered  so  even  here.  You  know  Beethoven's  operas  are  all 
considered  failures.  Well,  I  understand  now  why  as  operas 
they  certainly  are  very  poor.  The  dramatic  interest  of  "  Fi- 
delio"  is  very  meagre.  There  is  so  little  of  passion  and  intensity 
in  the  movement  that  actually  they  have  to  drop  the  music 
sometimes  and  talk  to  keep  up  the  interest.  Beethoven  could 
not  write  music  for  lovers  to  bill  and  coo  in,  and  tyrants  to 
bluster,  and  dying  men  to  make  pathetic  speeches  through — so 
all  that  is  done  by  mere  talk.  But  the  music — I  wish  I  could 
give  you  some  idea  of  it.  The  overture  was  full  of  grand  and 
strong  passages  that  seemed  to  carry  me  as  on  the  wings  of  the 
wind — it  is  unlike  and  yet  very  like  Beethoven.  So  weird  and 
wild  was  the  whole  that  it  seemed  unfamiliar.  The  opera  itself 
is  made  up  of  half  a  dozen  grand  connected  pieces  and  four  or 
five  airs,  the  sweetest,  most  exquisite  that  one  can  conceive — you 
know  what  Beethoven  can  do  in  that  way — they  seemed  almost 
to  steal  the  very  soul  from  one.  I  could  almost  fancy  one  might 
die  of  such  music,  as  some  faint  from  the  exquisite  fragrance  of 
the  tuberose.  But  what  is  the  use  of  trying  to  describe  it  ?  I 
can  only  say  that  the  effect  of  the  whole  opera  on  me  was  such 
that  I  went  home  completely  exhausted  ;  it  seemed  to  take  all  my 
nervous  energy  from  me,  to  listen  to  such  music.  They  played 
the  overture  in  "Leonore,"  another  of  Beethoven's  operas,  after 
the  "  Fidelio,"  but  I  was  too  tired  to  do  it  justice  in  the  hearing ; 
it  was  wonderful,  bewildering,  stormy,  and  yet  full  of  sweetness 
— Beethoven  all  over — that's  all  I  can  say  of  it.  I  have  heard 
"Martha,"  too,  and  at  the  cathedral  on  Sunday,  Mendelssohn's 
Psalms.  You  see,  I  am  living  on  music,  and  we  can't  do  any- 
thing else  in  Berlin.  There  is  a  concert  every  afternoon  of 
the  very  finest  classical  music,  rendered  by  the  best  orchestra 
in  the  city,  admission  six  cents.  The  operas  of  Mozart,  Beeth- 
oven,  Flotow,  and  Mendelssohn  every   evening,  admission 


174     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


twenty  cents.  Positively  the  temptation  is  too  great,  one  can- 
not resist  it ;  but  all  the  time  I  keep  thinking  how  much  better 
it  would  be  if  you  could  only  hear  it  with  me.  It  seems  almost 
wrong,  sometimes,  to  be  enjoying  so  much  away  from  you. 
Well,  darling,  I  shall  come  back  as  soon  as  the  Doctor  cures  my 
eyes.  I  don't  care  for  Europe.  I  can  travel  in  my  library,  by 
my  own  thoughts,  to  my  heart's  content,  and  I  will  gladly  give 
all  the  operas  and  concerts  of  Germany  to  be  back  in  the  old 
familiar  room,  listening  to  you  while  you  render  our  favorite 
music. 

Music  is  very  cheap  here.  I  can  buy  all  Beethoven's  sonatas 
for  two  dollars  and  a  half,  all  of  Mozart's  for  a  dollar,  and  they 
throw  in  as  a  premium  a  portrait  of  each.  I  got  a  beautiful 
Parian  bust  of  Beethoven  the  other  day  for  you.  I  keep  it  on 
the  table  before  me,  and  the  more  I  see  it  the  better  I  like  it. 
It  is  a  noble  head. 

March  22. 

A  long  stop,  but  I  must  write  when  I  can.  The  Doctor 
changes  my  spectacles  every  once  in  a  while,  and  then  I  have  to 
wait  two  or  three  days  for  the  new  ones  to  be  made.  How  are 
my  eyes?    Well,  I  don't  know.    I  am  reading  three  or  four 

hours  a  day,  with  as  little  pain  as  I  ever  had  under  Dr.  D  

when  I  read  not  a  bit.  Dr.  von  Graefe  tells  me  I  must  read  till 
the  pain  is  so  great  that  I  cannot  read  any  longer.  And  I  have 
not  got  to  that  point  yet.  He  is  going  to  set  me  reading  by 
candle-light  to-morrow  evening,  half  an  hour  an  evening.  I  am 
almost  afraid  to  try  it,  but  he  says  I  must,  and  there  is  no  dis- 
puting with  Mm — one  must  do  as  he  says  or  leave. 

I  have  the  oddest  pair  of  spectacles  now,  they  are  called  pris- 
matico-convex  glasses.  The  glass  is  on  one  edge  thicker  than  a 
half  dollar  and  slants  off  to  the  opposite  side  to  the  thickness  of 
a  five- cent  piece.  They  are  so  big  and  heavy  that  they  have  made 
the  bridge  of  my  nose  sore  with  carrying  them.  The  Doctor 
has  tried  to  explain  their  use,  but  as  his  English  is  poor  and  my 
German  worse,  I  can  make  nothing  out  of  it.  Graefe  tells  me 
that  the  eye  itself  and  the  nerve  are  perfectly  good,  but  the 
muscles  by  which  the  eyes  are  held  fixed  and  moved  to  and  fro 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


175 


in  reading,  have  been  strained  by  excessive  use.  He  intends  to 
restore  their  tone  by  the  use  of  these  peculiar  spectacles.  He 
says  he  shall  dismiss  me  when  1  can  read  eight  hours  a  day. 
"When  that  will  be,  if  ever,  I  don't  know.  He  won't  tell  me, 
nor  promise  me  anything.  He  is  an  odd  man  with  his  patients  ; 
he  always  discourages  them  as  much  as  he  can.  You  can 
have  no  idea  how  much  he  is  beloved.  The  children  hang 
round  him  like  a  father,  as  he  is  as  gentle  with  them  as  a 
woman.  The  poor  fellow  is  worked  to  death.  Just  think  of 
his  visiting  four  hundred  patients  every  day.  He  came  into  my 
room  a  few  minutes  ago  looking  all  fagged,  and  he  told  me  he 
could  not  attend  to  me  to-day,  that  he  was  too  tired.  He  sees 
me  every  day  for  a  minute,  and  examines  my  eyes  with  the 
microscope  minutely  every  five  days. 

TO  BALTIMORE,  1861. 

His  father  had  been  called  to  be  pastor  of  the  new 
congregation  styled  St.  Mark's  in  Baltimore,  of  which 
a  full  history  has  been  given  in  his  biography.  At  his 
desire,  Charles  was  called  to  be  his  father's  assistant. 
Not  being  the  responsible  pastor  of  the  church,  he  did 
not  at  first  mingle  freely  with  the  members,  and  only 
discharged  such  pastoral  duties  as  the  chief  pastor  re- 
quired from  him.  He  was  backward  and  retiring,  and 
did  not  consider  it  his  duty  to  seek  the  acquaintance  of 
the  people,  and  hence  for  several  years  he  was  not  per- 
sonally known  to  many  of  the  people ;  but  he  was  uni- 
versally admired  as  a  young  man  of  fine  talents,  extensive 
acquirements,  and  of  brilliant  promise.  He  did  not  asso- 
ciate intimately  with  any  of  the  Baltimore  clergy  at  that 
early  day ;  but  subsequently,  when  he  became  full  pastor, 
his  whole  manner  changed,  and  several  ministers  of  other 
churches  and  he  became  intimate  friends.    They  were 


176     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 

New  Englanders,  with  whom  he  seemed  to  have  more 
sympathy  than  with  others. 

At  that  time,  he  was  a  close  reader  of  his  sermons. 
He  was  a  fair  reader,  still  much  of  their  force  was 
weakened  by  his  style  of  delivery.  He  lacked  in  fervor, 
and  had  imbibed  the  New  England  ideas  of  preaching, 
which  did  not  suit  his  congregation  in  Baltimore  ;  and  yet 
a  New  Englander  who  heard  him  one  Sunday  morning, 
and  the  pulpit  of  the  church  of  which  he  was  a  member 
being  vacant  at  the  time,  remarked  to  a  friend  after 
church,  "  That  is  positively  the  kind  of  man  we  need  in 
our  church  !  and  I'll  inquire  whether  he  cannot  be  got !" 
But  it  was  not  only  the  mode  of  young  Stork's  delivery 
that  roused  the  admiration  of  this  stranger,  but  it  was  the 
mature  thought,  the  exquisite  taste,  the  sound  argument 
and  striking  illustrations  of  the  young  preacher. 

The  people  endured  the  reading  of  his  sermons,  for  his 
father  had  practised  it  in  the  same  pulpit  several  years 
before  him,  but  the  preacher  himself  began  to  ask  whether 
after  all  he  should  not  lay  aside  his  manuscript  and  talk 
instead  of  read  to  the  people.  He  had  never  practised 
extemporaneous  speaking,  and  he  said  it  was  difficult  to 
learn.  He  was  encouraged  to  persevere,  and  by  con- 
tinuous effort  he  in  less  than  a  year  acquired  a  faculty  of 
uttering  unwritten  thoughts  in  the  choicest  and  most 
forcible  language.  He  never  hesitated  for  a  word  and 
never  repeated  one  for  want  of  another,  but  words  flowed 
smoothly  and  fluently  from  his  eloquent  lips.  All  this 
was  owing  to  his  unsurpassed  mental  vigor,  his  indomi- 
table perseverance,  and  the  broad  extent  of  his  knowledge. 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


177 


And  yet  with  this  wonderful  facility  of  utterance,  he  some- 
times would  not  risk  the  exercise  of  it,  but  preferred  to 
read  a  sermon,  which  thus  lost  much  of  its  power.  I 
remember  once  at  a  Synodical  meeting  he  closely  read  a 
sermon  before  a  plain  country  congregation,  when  I 
knew  he  might  have  thrilled  his  hearers  with  his  off-hand 
impressive  style  of  speech,  and  presented  the  truth  with 
much  more  effect. 

CALL  TO  ST.  MARK'S. 

Letter  of  the  Council  of  St.  Mark's  to  C.  A.  Stork  : 

Baltimore,  June  21,  1865. 
Dear  Sir:  It  gives  me  pleasure  to  inform  you  that  at  a  meet- 
ing of  the  church  council  of  St.  Mark's,  it  was  unanimously- 
resolved  to  extend  to  you  a  call  to  the  pastorship,  which  will 
become  vacant  on  the  1st  of  July  next.  This  action  is  based 
upon  an  election  held  on  the  14th  and  lGth  instant,  when  you 
were  the  unanimous  choice  for  that  position  of  all  those  who 
voted. 

The  constitution  of  the  church  requires  that  two-thirds  of  all 
the  electors  shall  be  necessary  to  elect  a  pastor,  but  I  congratu- 
late you  upon  the  fact  that  more  than  three-fourths  of  the  elec- 
tors have  thus  expressed  a  desire  that  you  should  succeed  to 
the  office  of  pastor,  and  of  those  who  have  not  voted — a  number 
of  whom  are  out  of  the  city — it  is  not  known  that  a  single  mem- 
ber is  opposed  to  your  succeeding  to  that  position. 

Such  unanimity  of  feeling  among  the  members  of  the  church 
upon  such  an  important  question,  leads  us  to  believe  that  under 
the  blessing  of  God,  and  the  earnest  prayers  of  the  congregation, 
your  ministry  among  us,  in  the  event  of  your  acceptance  of  the 
call,  will  be  eminently  successful. 

The  history  of  the  church  is  well  known  to  you  ;  at  our  first 
election  for  pastor  in  the  fall  of  1860,  the  same  unanimity  of 
feeling  existed,  and  the  church  has  been  most  signally  blessed  of 
God,  both  in  its  spiritual  and  its  temporal  affairs,  under  the 


178     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


ministry  of  him  who  has  so  endeared  himself  in  the  hearts,  and 
whose  memory  will  be  cherished  by  the  members  of  St.  Mark's, 
but  who  is  now  about  to  leave  us  ;  and  this,  too,  was  commenced 
at  a  time  when  all  around  was  dark  and  gloomy  by  reason  of 
the  rebellion  which  was  about  bursting  upon  our  land,  and 
when  many  churches  of  our  city  were  very  much  crippled  in 
their  operations  thereby. 

But  now  that  God  has  granted  victory  to  our  country,  and  the 
glad  tidings  of  peace  are  again  heard  in  the  land,  may  we  not 
reasonably  hope  that  as  you  have  so  acceptably  filled  the  office 
of  assistant  pastor  for  the  past  three  years,  a  favoring  Provi- 
dence will  grant  that  under  your  ministry  the  future  history  of 
the  church  will  be  as  glorious  as  in  the  past? 

This  call  was  accepted  on  June  23,  1865,  in  the  fol- 
lowing letter : 

Baltimore,  June  23. 
Your  communication  informing  me  of  the  action  of  the  congre- 
tional  meeting  of  St.  Mark's,  resulting  in  my  election,  and 
extending  to  me  a  call  to  the  pastorship  now  vacant,  has  been 
received. 

It  gives  me  sincere  pleasure  to  respond  to  a  call  made  with 
such  unanimity  of  feeling  and  choice  on  the  part  of  the  congre- 
gation as  intimated  in  your  letter.  Our  relations  hitherto  have 
been  of  the  most  pleasant  and,  I  trust,  not  unprofitable  character. 
In  signifying  my  acceptance  of  the  call  to  the  pastorship  of  St. 
Mark's,  I  can  only  express  my  hope  that  the  same  harmony 
and  mutual  love,  that  under  the  blessing  of  God  have  charac- 
terized our  past  intercourse,  may  continue  in  the  new  relation 
of  pastor  and  people  that  we  shall  now  assume. 

I  propose  to  enter  upon  my  duties  on  the  first  of  July.  Pray- 
ing that  the  blessing  of  God  and  the  grace  of  Christ  may  cheer 
and  sustain  us  in  the  work  that  is  before  us  as  a  church,  and 
that  we  may  faithfully  occupjr  our  place  in  the  vineyard  of  our 
common  Lord,  with  many  thanks  for  your  kind  consideration 
of  myself, 

I  remain  yours  in  Christ,  C.  A.  Stork. 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


179 


He  was  now  master  of  the  church  himself,  and  for 
a  number  of  years  he  maintained  the  character  of  an  able 
preacher,  a  diligent  student  and  successful  pastor.  He 
was  a  most  conscientious  and  sympathizing  shepherd  of 
his  flock,  and  although  not  addicted  to  paying  mere  social 
visits  and  spending  his  time  in  unprofitable  talk,  yet  he 
was  ever  ready  at  the  call  of  the  sick  or  needy,  and  was 
a  most  affectionate  comforter  of  the  bereaved. 

HIS  MARRIAGE. 

Soon  after  his  settlement  in  Baltimore,  he  married 
Miss  Maria  H.  Ellis,  of  Andover,  Massachusetts.  Two  of 
the  children  died  young,  and  two,  a  son  and  daughter, 
with  the  mother,  still  survive.  After  her  husband's 
death,  Mrs.  Stork  retired  to  Andover,  where  she  still 
lives. 

CALLS  TO  PENNSYLVANIA  COLLEGE  AND  TO  THE  THEO- 
LOGICAL SEMINARY  AT  GETTYSBURG. 

In  1866  he  was  elected  to  the  Graeff  Professorship  of 
English  Language  and  Literature  in  Pennsylvania  Col- 
lege, which  he  declined,  and  in  1868  he  was  chosen  to  a 
Professorship  in  the  Seminary,  the  result  of  which  is  set 
forth  in  the  following  letters. 

TO  HIS  FATHER. 

Baltimore,  Oct.  29th,  1867. 

Dear  Father :  "We  are  purposing  to  celebrate  the 

Jubilee  year  here  in  as  good  style  as  possible.  We  will  publish 
tracts,  raise  subscriptions,  and  try  to  awaken  the  church. 

I  had  been  somewhat  cast  down  of  late.  My  church  has 
seemed  so  dead,  and  I  have  been  so  sluggish  myself ;  but  the 
cloud  is  beginning  to  break  away.    I  hope  we  shall  do  better. 


180     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


I  have  cast  the  burden  of  this  work  on  God,  and  now  I  trouble 
myself  less  about  results. 

It  seems  to  me  the  longer  I  live  the  harder,  more  perplexed, 
life  becomes.  My  ministry  grows  heavier  ;  more  anxieties, 
Cares,  disappointments,  fall  upon  me.  I  feel  like  saying  with 
Paul,  w  Who  is  sufficient  for  these  things  ?"  Perhaps  I  have  not 
been  working  right.  My  watch- word  has  been,  I  fear,  "duty" 
rather  than  "  love."  I  have  begun  to  pray  for  more  love,  that 
all  my  nature  and  life  may  be  love  to  God  in  a  Saviour.  I  can- 
not keep  up  much  longer  under  the  duty  pressure  :  I  must  have 
something  higher,  and  stronger,  and  warmer.  I  feel  like  cry- 
ing all  the  time  "Lead  me  to  the  rock  that  is  higher  than  I." 
Indeed,  I  have  felt  that  there  must  new  light  and  life  come  into 
my  soul,  or  I  must  give  up  my  ministry.  I  could  not  live  doing 
my  work  in  a  perfunctory,  professional  way.  I  must  love  it 
more,  love  it  for  Christ's  sake  more,  or  lay  it  down.  I  must 
realize  that  to  live  is  Christ,  or  I  feel  as  if  I  must  die. 

Indeed,  father,  I  have  been  going  through  deep  water  of  late  ; 
the  floods  have  gone  over  my  head.  But  I  do  not  despair.  I  think 
I  see  the  source  of  all  my  trouble.  It  has  been  self-sufficiency. 
I  have  felt  too  strong.  I  have  been  leani  ng  upon  my  gifts  of 
mind  and  conscience.  1  have  been  more  of  a  philosopher  than 
a  Christian.  I  have  come  to  the  convalescent  period.  I  think 
I  have  made  the  total  consecration  of  myself.  I  have,  I  hope, 
brought  the  last  reserve  and  laid  it  down  ;  but  I  am  very  weak 
— when  I  pray,  after  I  come  from  my  closet,  my  soul  burns,  but 
the  flame  is  feeble,  it  is  soon  quenched  again.  I  must  be  ever 
new-consecrating  myself.    Pray  for  me,  and  come  and  see  me. 

Charles  A.  Stork. 

Dr.  Stork's  letter  declining  an  election  to  the  Pro- 
fessorship of  New  Testament  Exegesis  and  Church  His- 
tory in  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Gettysburg : 

Baltimore,  76  K.  Paca  St.,  Oct.  6,  1868. 

Rev.  W.  M.  Baum,  B.  J) —Bear  Bro.:  I  should  have  written 
you  before,  but  pressing  business  has  made  it  almost  impossible 
to  write  at  such  leisure  as  I  wished. 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


181 


I  gave  the  considerations  urged  by  the  Committee  careful 
thought,  and  left  myself  to  such  new  impressions  as  your  repre- 
sentations and  those  of  Dr.  Hay  and  Dr.  Brown  made  ;  and  with 
the  best  light  from  reason  and  prayer,  I  cannot  see  my  way 
clear  to  do  otherwise  than  decline. 

The  necessities  of  Gettysburg  are  important,  but  I  cannot  feel 
them  so  great  as  to  call  for  my  presence.  This  point  I  fully  set 
forth  in  my  letter  to  Dr.  Brown.  As  far  as  the  leadings  of 
Providence  are  concerned,  I  feel  only  led  to  stay  where  I  am.  I 
feel  a  repugnance  to  the  Professor's  sphere  :  nay  I  feel  more,  a 
dread  of  it.  I  know,  and  on  this  point  I  only  can  be  a  compe- 
tent judge,  that  I  should  be  doing  violence  to  the  whole  bent  of 
my  nature  to  lapse  into  the  mere  speculative  thinker  and 
teacher. 

I  am  deeply  touched  by  Dr.  Hay's  kind  offer  of  the  pastorate 
of  the  church  in  Gettysburg,  but  that  would  be  no  such  sphere 
as  I  need.  I  have  often  felt  that  I  must  be  an  active  minister  of 
the  gospel  for  my  own  sake — that  in  some  sense  I  must  preach 
and  be  a  pastor  to  save  my  own  soul. 

I  am  sorry  to  disappoint  any  expectations  your  kind  brethren 
may  have  had  concerning  me.  I  feel  all  your  kindness ;  in- 
deed, one  strong  element  of  bias  in  considering  the  whole  mat- 
ter has  been  an  earnest  desire  to  please  and  satisfy  those  whom 
I  so  much  respect  and  love.  But,  at  last,  in  the  final  decision,  I 
felt  constrained  to  put  both  the  brethren  of  the  Board  and  the 
brethren  here  in  Maryland  and  Baltimore  wholly  out  of  sight, 
and  decide  without  regard  to  the  feelings  or  judgment  of  any 
one — simply  on  what  I  with  the  light  God  would  give  me  could 
see  to  be  my  simple  duty.  I  have  decided.  I  have  done  to  the 
best  of  my  ability.  I  certainly  may  be  mistaken,  but  I  see  no 
other  way.  Do  not  think  more  hardly  of  me  and  my  decision 
because  they  may  be  adverse  to  your  wishes.  With  the  highest 
regard  for  your  faithfulness  and  frankness  in  all  matters,  I  remain 
your  brother,  Charles  A.  Stork. 

In  illustration  of  a  passage  of  this  letter,  the  insertion 
of  an  extract  from  a  letter  of  Dr.  Hay  to  me,  is  proper 
9 


182    THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


at  this  place.  He  had  the  above  letter  of  resignation  be- 
forehim  when  he  wrote  his  letter  : 

"Dr.  Stork's  allusion  to  my  offer  of  the  pastorship  of  Christ's 
church  in  Gettysburg,  as  an  inducement  for  him  to  accept  the 
Professorship,  reminds  me  of  a  similar  offer  I  made  to  him  when 
we  as  a  College  Board  elected  him  to  the  Graeff  Professorship 
of  English  Language  and  Literature  some  years  ago.  Dr.  Sadt- 
ler  and  I  were  sent  to  Baltimore  to  urge  his  acceptance  of  the 
call,  where  we  had  a  long  interview  with  him.  When  he  hesi- 
tated, and  said  that  he  would  enjoy  that  sort  of  literary  work, 
but  feared  to  devote  himself  to  it  lest  his  own  spiritual  life 
should  suffer,  and  that  he  needed  the  stimulus  of  the  pulpit  and 
pastoral  work  for  his  own  sake,  I  then  offered  him  the  College 
and  Seminary  pulpit,  for  I  had  not  very  long  before  that  reluc- 
tantly consented  to  take  it,  when  Dr.  Baugher  insisted  on  giving 
it  up,  and  none  of  the  others  would  take  it.  I  took  it  for  the 
time  being,  and  would  gladly  have  turned  it  over  to  him,  and  I 
am  sure  the  people  would  have  sanctioned  the  arrangement. 
But  he  could  not  be  prevailed  upon  to  accept  the  position.  You 
see  from  this  letter  that  I  renewed  the  offer  when  he  was  elected 
to  a  Seminary  Professorship,  and  that  he  appreciated  my  feeling 
in  the  matter." 

I  here  insert  several  extracts  from  his  letters  to  Mrs. 
Stork,  during  his  presence  at  the  meeting  of  the  Synod 
of  Maryland  at  Emmittsburg  in  October,  1870.  They 
were  dashed  off  in  his  rapid  manner  of  writing,  but  they 
show  his  exquisite  love  of  nature  and  his  admiration  of 
its  beauties.  Well  might  Mr.  Alden  say,  "  Nature  was 
more  to  him  than  books,  but  its  charms  were,  in  his  mind, 
inseparably  connected  with  the  creations  of  the  master 
poets."    He  was  himself  a  poet : 

Dear  R.  :  We  have  got  to  Monday  morning,  and  Synod  is  still 
under  way,  full  of  business,  and  adjournment  yet  far  off.  I 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


183 


have  just  come  into  Synod,  leaving  the  beautiful  morning  with 
reluctance  to  shut  myself  up  in  the  church.  It  would  be  hard 
to  make  you  understand  how  beautiful  the  country  about  this 
village  is — a  broad  rolling  plain,  verdant,  heavily  wooded  and  yet 
soft  and  tender,  sweeping  to  the  foot  of  a  range  of  mountains  that 
are  not  lofty  and  abrupt  enough  to  be  grand,  but  yet  are  enough 
to  give  the  softness  of  the  landscape  dignity  and  something  of 
strength.  Yesterday  was  one  of  those  lovely  Sundays  that  seem 
to  come  down  out  of  heaven — the  air  so  soft  and  balmy,  the 
sunshine  so  mellow  and  golden,  the  light  haze  on  the  hills  and 
woods  not  enough  to  obscure,  but  only  lending  a  tenderer,  re- 
moter atmosphere  to  all  the  scene.  I  got  through  breakfast 
and  my  preparation  for  service  by  half  past  eight  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  then  strolled  out  into  the  country  to  the  top  of  a  long, 
sloping  hill,  through  a  quiet  winding  lane  that  stole  away  from 
the  town  into  the  heart  of  the  woods  and  hills.  The  hill  gave 
me  a  pleasant  outlook  over  the  whole  country  almost.  Oh,  it 
was  too  sweet  to  leave  !  I  don't  know  which  was  the  better,  the 
morning  view  or  one  I  had  in  the  afternoon  about  4  o'clock  from 
a  little  valley,  where  a  brook  came  bubbling  down  and  wound 
away  into  the  silent  fields. 
*  *  ■*  #  *  *  *  *  ■* 

This  morning  I  got  up  at  6£  a.  m.,  and  took  a  walk  into  the 
country  on  another  road,  that  faced  the  range  of  the  mountains. 
I  stood  and  looked  at  them  again  in  the  morning  light,  for  they 
change  with  all  the  hours  of  the  day.  There  was  one  long  broad 
slope  to  the  right  of  the  range  that  rose  very  gradually  from  the 
valley — its  long,  retreating  swell  was  cleared  of  the  forest,  and 
farm  after  farm  could  be  traced  by  the  eye  in  their  various  col- 
ored fields  stretching  up  and  up,  until  on  the  edge  of  the  cleared 
land — in  a  hollow,  that  seemed  narrow  enough  for  a  man  to 
stride  across — a  white  farm-house,  with  gardens  and  orchards, 
peeped  out.  Beyond  and  above  rose  the  thick  woods  away  to 
the  bristling  top.  To  the  left  swept  up  a  still  taller  peak,  ab- 
rupt, steep,  covered  with  woods  from  bottom  to  top.  I  thought 
I  could  look  on  all  day.  If  you  will  go  into  the  study,  and  look 
at  that  picture  of  mountains  over  the  mantel-piece,  you  will  get 


184     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


something  like  an  idea  of  what  I  see  ;  imagine  that  to  be  real, 
and  fuller  of  trees,  and  you  have  it.    I  wish  you  could  be  with 
me  to  enjoy  all  these  things. 
********* 

Emmtitsburg,  Md.,  Oct.  8th,  1870. 

Bear  R.  :  I  have  had  no  time  to  write  in  Synod  to-day,  and 
indeed  I  have  very  little  time  to-night.  It  is  6£  p.  m.,  and  I 
have  to  go  to  church  to  make  a  speech  pretty  soon ;  still  I  must 
give  you  a  few  lines. 

It  has  been  a  lovely  day.  Such  serene  airs,  mellow  sunlight, 
and  the  beautiful,  unchanging  mountans  lying  so  silent,  and  yet 
as  if  they  had  so  much  to  tell — how  wonderful  they  are  !  I  was 
sitting  down  on  the  slope  of  the  hill  below  the  church  in  the 
afternoon,  not  a  soul  near,  in  all  the  stillness  and  soft  beauty  of 
the  autumn  sunlight.  I  drank  it  in,  and  got  better  and  softer. 
We  have  had  stormy  times  in  Synod,  and  I  have  had  to  play  a 
conspicuous  part,  and  it  had  made  me  irritated  and  unrestful ; 
but  the  beautiful  still  afternoon  soothed  it  all  away.  I  grudged 
to  go  back  to  the  church,  and  lose  all  the  tranquil  life  of  the 
open  country-side.  I  walked  up  through  the  old  grave-yard 
that  lies  round  the  church,  and  read  some  of  the  inscriptions  on 
the  tomb-stones,  and  listened  to  the  tune  that  rolled  out  of  the 
open  window  and  mingled  with  the  soft  sighings  of  the  wind  in 
the  willow  trees  over  the  graves.  It  was  very  solemn,  and  it 
was  a  good  place  to  muse,  and  wander  up  and  down. 

But  I  had  to  go  in.  I  heard  a  good  preparatory  sermon,  and 
then  we  had  rather  a  rough  session  of  Synod. 

My  health  has  been  better  ;  my  rest  and  diet  has  helped  me. 
I  am  getting  quite  tired,  however,  for  the  calls  of  business  are 
incessant.  The  strain,  too,  on  our  temper  is  very  hard.  I  am 
afraid  it  would  spoil  me  to  stay  in  such  scenes  long.  I  have 
to  pray  a  great  deal  to  keep  straight. 

*         *^  ******* 
Your  affectionate  husband,  Chas.  A.  Stork. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


18T4— 1881. 

SECOND  VISIT  TO  EUROPE — SYMPTOMS  OF  DISEASE — COMPELLED 
TO  LAY  ASIDE  WORK — DEGREE  OF  D.  D. — LECTURER  ON  HIS- 
TORY—LETTER FROM  CHESTER,  ENGLAND — ITINERARY — RE- 
TURN— WORK  AT  ST.  MARK'S — MINISTERIAL  STANDING — CON- 
TINUOUS SORE  THROAT— DESPONDING  LETTERS — REGAINS 
HOPE  ONLY  TO  BE  BLASTED — SUCCESS  AS  A  PASTOR — HIS 
FATHER'S  SERMONS — CHURCH  AFFAIRS  AND  WORK. 

AS  early  as  1870,  evidences  of  failing  health  began  to 
be  developed,  but  such  was  his  indomitable  energy 
that  he  continued  to  study  and  preach  without  inter- 
ruption for  several  months,  until  he  was  compelled  to  lay 
aside  his  work  for  a  while  almost  entirely.  He,  however, 
recovered  from  this  attack  and  resumed  his  pastoral 
labors  in  the  autumn.  He  was  obliged  to  be  exceedingly 
cautious,  for  the  least  exposure  or  unusual  fatigue  would 
betray  suspicious  symptoms.  He  was  constantly  on  his 
guard,  and  this  necessary  vigilance  was  of  itself  depress- 
ing and  had  an  unfavorable  influence  upon  his  delicate 
sensibility. 

But  in  1874,  there  was  such  a  manifest  development 
of  pulmonary  disease  that  he  was  advised  to  give  up  all 
work  and  to  spend  the  winter  abroad,  and  he  chose 
Egypt  for  the  place  of  his  retreat.  On  September  30, 
1874,  he  sailed  for  Europe,  accompanied  by  his  younger 
half  brother,  Theophilus  B.  Stork,  of  Philadelphia. 

(185) 


186     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 

The  following  letter  to  Mrs.  Stork  is  appropriate  here. 
Let  the  reader  remember  that  this  and  all  others  of  his 
letters  occurring  in  this  sketch  were  not  intended  for  the 
public  eye  but  those  to  his  family  are  the  mere  natural 
out-gushings  of  fond  affection  written  for  them  alone,  and 
the  others  are  mostly  on  business  relating  to  the  semi- 
nary and  church.  Dr.  Stork  never  had  time  to  write 
letters  of  mere  friendship  after  he  entered  upon  his  life 
work. 

Before  I  introduce  the  letter,  this  is  the  proper  time 
to  state  that  in  June  of  this  summer,  1874,  the  honorary 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was  conferred  on  him  by 
Pennsylvania  College,  Gettysburg,  and  never  was  the 
distinction  bestowed  upon  a  man  more  eminently  entitled 
to  it. 

The  previous  wTinter,  he  delivered  a  course  of  lectures 
on  History  to  the  students  of  the  Theological  Seminary. 
This  did  not  require  a  constant  residence  at  Gettysburg, 
but  he  went  up  from  Baltimore,  remained  four  or  five 
days,  then  returned  so  as  to  be  in  his  pulpit  on  Sunday, 
and  this  was  kept  up  for  several  weeks. 

LETTER  FROM  C.  A.  STORK  TO  HIS  WIFE. 

Queen  Hotel,  Chester,  Eng.,  Oct.  11,  1874. 

Dear  R  .  I  am  someway  into  England  already,  you  see. 

We  landed  in  Liverpool,  Saturday,  October  10th,  at  10  a.  m., 
after  a  run  of  9  days  and  17  hours,  a  short  trip.  We  had  the 
gale  we  met  to  thank  for  that  ;  it  was  a  fierce  storm,  but  as  it 
came  from  the  west  it  helped  us  on  our  way.  It  was  so  tem- 
pestuous on  this  coast  that  none  of  the  steamers  left  Liverpool 
for  New  York  on  Thursday.    We  had  a  nerve-shaking  time. 

We  went  ashore  in  a  pelting  rain.    A  long  drive  of  four  miles 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


187 


to  the  hotel  which  opens  right  into  the  great  North  Western 
Railway  station.  Theo.  and  I  got  a  room,  cleaned  ourselves 
up  after  the  abominations  of  the  voyage,  and  then  sallied  out 
into  Liverpool  in  the  fog  and  rain  to  get  some  money  and  do 
some  shopping.  We  neither  of  us  knew  anything  of  the  city,  a 
place  as  big  as  three  of  Boston,  but  somehow  one  gets  an  instinct 
of  cities,  so  we  got  through  in  good  time,  strolled  through  a 
market-full  of  the  richest  flowers  and  the  cheapest  fruit  on  our 
way  back,  and  by  rushing  things,  got  off  to  Chester  by  3^-  in  the 
afternoon.  The  clouds  cleared  away,  and  after  a  rushing  ride 
of  50  minutes  we  glided  into  Chester  in  a  glorious  sunset.  We 
strolled  about  the  town  till  dark  in  the  midst  of  a  great  horse 
fair  ;  the  place  is  full  of  farmers,  jockeys,  Welsh  horses  and  men, 
and  the  most  cunning,  meek  little  Welsh  ponies,  about  the  size 
of  a  good-sized  calf. 

We  are  stopping  at  a  comfortable,  yes,  even  elegant  English 
hotel.  Everything  is  heavy  and  cumbrous  compared  with  our 
American  hotel  equipments,  but  all  is  rich  and  unspeakably 
clean  and  comfortable.  Perhaps  this  is  enhanced  by  contrast 
with  the  horrors  of  the  ocean  voyage.  Such  great,  soft  beds, 
such  heavy  carpets,  snowy  linen — the  name  of  the  hotel  is  not 
only  on  all  the  china  and  silver,  and  steel,  but  even  woven  into 
the  table  linen,  stamped  on  the  knives.  Did  I  not  sleep  well 
last  night  ? 

This  morning  I  was  wakened  by  a  multitude  of  sparrows 
chirping  at  my  window.  The  sun  rose  clear  and  warm.  I  hur- 
ried out  and  took  a  walk  of  an  hour  before  breakfast.  I  strolled 
through  a  beautiful  park,  saw  the  ruin  of  an  old  abbey,  now 
restored  to  St.  John  the  Baptist  church,  built  1067.  I  dropped 
in  at  the  Cathedral  on  my  way  back  to  early  morning  service, 
and  got  back  to  find  Theo.  just  sitting  down  to  breakfast. 
We  attended  service  at  the  Cathedral  at  11  o'clock.  I  will  not 
attempt  to  describe  the  Cathedral ;  it  is  too  big  and  rambling, 
with  cloister  enclosing  a  green  lovely  bit  of  sward,  and  all  man- 
ner of  curious  and  beautiful  things .  But  the  Cathedral  service 
was  something  marvellous.  From  50  to  100  choristers,  with  no 
end  of  singing.    All  the  "Amens"  are  sung;  all  the  Psalms 


188     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


are  sung  instead  of  read. — in  fact,  they  sing  everything  they  can. 
I  would  have  hardly  been  surprised  if  the  preacher  had  sung 
his  sermon — he  came  as  near  to  it  as  he  could  in  a  sort  of  stam- 
mering recitative  ;  but  it  was  a  good,  wholesome,  kindly  sermon, 
and  the  preacher  was  a  lovely  old  man.  I  got  a  pleasant  bow 
from  him  as  I  strolled  through  the  Cathedral  after  service.  But 
the  music — well,  it  is  simply  wonderful  ;  the  soprano  voices 
of  the  boys  were  so  heavenly  clear  and  pure ;  such  tenors,  and 
a  great  rolling  bass — I  don't  mean  one  man,  for  each  part  was 
carried  by  15  or  20.  It  was  the  perfection  of  church  music. 
How  I  wished  for  you  to  be  beside  me.  But  the  setting  of  it 
all  :  that  great,  arched  ceiling ;  those  columns  and  arches 
stretching  away  in  the  distance  ;  the  wonderful  glory  of  the 
vast  stained  windows  ;  the  vestments,  the  rich  throng  of  clergy 
in  parti-colored  vestments— and  then  through  a  great  row  of 
high  windows  far  up  in  the  vaulted  ceiling,  streamed  in  right  in 
the  midst  of  one  of  the  anthems  a  full  burst  of  sunlight.  Well, 
it  was  all  very  fine,  beautiful,  inspiring  ;  but  do  you  know  I  did 
not  feel  half  so  religious  as  in  the  evening,  when  I  went  to  a 
Methodist  church  and  heard  them  sing,  and  joined  with  them, 
in  "Not  all  the  blood  of  beasts,"  etc.  The  Cathedral  service 
was  over  two  hours  long — so  Theo.  and  I  refreshed  ourselves 
with  a  stroll  round  the  ramparts.  You  know  Chester  is  an  old 
Roman  city,  and  it  still  has  its  wall  about  it  entire,  two  miles 
long.  We  walked  round  the  whole  city,  seeing  the  most  ancient 
and  curious  sights  ;  looking  into  people's  back-yards  and  down 
into  their  kitchens,  with  a  fine  view  into  garrets  and  down  chim- 
neys. Such  a  quaint,  queer,  racy  old  place  as  this  is,  such  pic- 
turesque views,  and  strange  old  houses  all  jumbled  up  without 
place  or  order,  I  cannot  describe. 

To-morrow  we  hope  to  get  to  Hereford  on  our  way  to  Devon- 
shire. It  is  too  cold  and  wet  for  Wales— so  we  have  given  that 
up.  My  health  is  very  good  ;  I  am  drinking  quantities  of  milk — 
I  think  it  agrees  with  me.  I  took  cold  on  the  steamer  ;  but  that 
is  wearing  away. 

Ah,  E  ,  do  you  think  all  these  fine  things  make  me  glad 

to  be  here  ?  I  tell  you  I  would,  if  only  my  health  would  permit, 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


189 


choose  without  a  moment's  hesitation  to  be  back  at  work — I  am 
home-sick  :  that  is,  I  have  a  steady  longing  to  be  back  with  you 
all.  I  want  quiet.  I  would  give  all  these  strange  and  really 
beautiful  experiences  for  my  old  study,  and  the  old  dining-room, 
you  and  the  others  with  us.  Sometimes  I  think  it  will  never 
be:  but  that  is  wrong.  "Your  Father  knoweth  that  ye  have 
need  of  all  these  things."  I  hope  I  am  growing  more  submis- 
sive and  content  with  His  ways.  But  I  do  hate  travel ;  though 
I  will  get  the  most  I  can  out  of  it.    Love  to  all. 

Your  affectionate  husband,  C.  A.  Stork. 

It  is  to  be  resrretted  that  more  letters  describing  his 
foreign  tour  could  not  be  procured.  I  here  place  a  mea- 
gre itinerary  furnished  by  one  of  the  parties,  which  will 
still  be  read  with  interest  by  many  of  his  friends : 

September  30th,  1874.  Left  New  York  in  Cunard  steamship 
Algeria. 

October  10th.  Arrived  in  Liverpool ;  experienced  gale  off 
Irish  Coast. 

October  11th.  Chester  ;  attended  service  in  Cathedral,  it  being 
Sunday. 

October  12th  to  31st.  Hereford  ;  fine  Norman  cathedral.  We 
wandered  southward,  visiting  Ross,  Tintern  Abbey,  Raglan  Cas- 
tle, and  then  crossed  the  Bristol  channel  to  Bristol,  then  to 
Wells,  with  its  fine  cathedral,  and  then  to  Exeter,  the  capital  of 
the  West.  From  Exeter  we  went  to  Bideford  on  the  North 
coast  of  Devon,  Clevelly,  Ilfracombe,  Plymouth,  and  finally  to 
Torquay,  a  fashionable  watering  place  on  the  South  coast,  where 
we  spent  two  weeks. 

November.  We  went  up  to  London,  and  thence  almost  direct 
to  Cannes,  in  the  south  of  France,  breaking  the  journey  at  Paris, 
Lyons  and  Marseilles — Dr.  Stork  not  feeling  strong  enough  to 
go  through  without  stopping.  We  arrived  at  Cannes  Wednes- 
day, November  11th,  1874.  As  December  approached  it  began 
to  grow  cold. 

December  11th.  We  left  for  Genoa,  there  to  take  ship  to  Egypt. 
9* 


190     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


We  sailed  December  15th  in  the  Italian  steamer,  but  we  had 
hardly  got  outside  the  harbor  when  she  broke  down,  and  we  had 
to  put  back  to  anchor.  The  next  day  we  crossed  to  Venice,  and 
took  the  Peninsular  and  Oriental  Company's  steamer  Venetia  for 
Alexandria,  where  we  arrived  on  Christmas  eve . 

From  December  27th,  1874,  to  February  17th,  1875,  we  spent 
quietly  in  Cairo,  walking,  or  riding  on  queer  little  donkeys, 
about  the  city  and  its  vicinity. 

We  left  Alexandria  for  Malta  in  the  steamer  Bavarian,  being 
the  only  passengers,  and  arrived  at  Malta  February  24th,  1875. 

From  Malta,  March  3d,  1875,  we  steamed  to  the  ancient  Syra- 
cuse in  Sicily,  about  twelve  hours'  trip.  By  rail  we  skirted  the 
eastern  coast  of  Sicily  by  Catania  to  Messina,  thence  to  Paler- 
mo by  steamer,  the  railway  going  no  farther. 

From  Palermo  we  steamed  north  to  Naples  ;  and,  after  numer- 
ous excursions  in  the  neighborhood,  we  reached  Rome  on  Easter 
eve,  March  27th,  1875. 

April  30th.  From  Rome  we  went,  by  way  of  Orvieto  and  Si- 
enna, to  Florence,  stopping  a  day  in  each  of  the  first  two  cities. 
From  Florence  to  Bologna,  then  to  Venice,  and  then  to  Milan, 
Turin,  Geneva,  via  Mont  Cenis,  spending  a  week  at  Villeneuve, 
on  Lac  Leman  ;  then  to  Paris,  visiting  Chartres  cathedral, 
Dover,  taking  a  glance  at  Canterbury  cathedral,  then  to  London, 
May  31st,  1874. 

While  staying  in  London  we  ran  down  to  Brighton,  and  across 
by  Plymouth  to  the  Isle  of  Wight,  then  back  by  Winchester  ; 
and  finally  we  went  north,  taking  on  our  way  to  Liverpool  the 
three  great  cathedrals  of  Peterboro,  Lincoln,  and  York,  reaching 
Liverpool  about  middle  of  June.  Thence  we  sailed  in  steamship 
Parthia  to  Boston. 

He  returned  from  this  tour,  which  extended  east  as  far 
as  Egypt,  where,  as  has  been  said,  he  spent  the  winter 
much  benefited,  and  resumed  his  work  in  St.  Mark's  with 
bouyant  expectations  of  long  years  of  uninterrupted  ac- 
tivity.   He  labored  with  an  energy  which  too  severely 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


191 


strained  his  strength,  and  for  several  years  he  vacillated 
between  hope  and  fear,  apparent  vigor  and  very  decided 
debility ;  and  it  was  during  this  period  that  he  wrote  and 
preached  those  beautiful  sermons  in  the  "  Selections," 
entitled  "  The  Fellowship  of  Christ's  Sufferings,"  "  True 
Christian  Patience,"  and  others  of  a  like  character.  He 
was  not  a  constant  sufferer  ;  frequently  he  seemed  per- 
fectly well,  and  at  such  times  his  anxious  friends  would 
be  buoyed  up  with  hope ;  but,  perhaps,  the  next  Sunday 
would  show  the  unwelcome  reality  that  his  throat  was 
seriously  affected,  for  his  voice  would  be  hoarse,  his 
breathing  labored,  and  his  cough  painful.  The  slightest 
effort  seemed  to  exhaust  him,  and  he  was  liable  to  take 
cold  in  an  atmosphere  which  was  bracing  to  persons  in 
good  health.  His  hearers  deeply  sympathized  with  him 
in  his  infirmities,  and  listened  to  his  preaching  with  the 
utmost  apprehension.  They  admired  the  zealous  spirit 
in  the  man  which  impelled  him  to  preach  when  he  per- 
haps should  have  been  in  bed,  or  at  least  at  home  in  his 
quiet  study.  But  amid  all  his  constrained  exertions  to 
speak  distinctly,  with  which  the  hoarseness  of  his  voice 
often  interfered,  there  was  no  deterioration  of  mental 
vigor.  His  genius  sparkled  with  the  same  brilliancy, 
and  flashes  of  light  still  burst  forth  from  his  eyes.  His 
language  was  as  rich  as  in  his  palmiest  days,  and  the 
most  striking  illustrations  flowed  forth  abundantly  from 
his  fervid  imagination. 

There  never  was  a  pastor  who  was  more  highly  es- 
teemed by  his  people.  They  besought  him  to  cease  his 
efforts,  or  preach  but  rarely.    Occasionally  he  would  be 


192     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


compelled  to  yield,  and  for  weeks  his  voice  would  not  be 
heard  in  the  pulpit,  and  he  would  go  on  short  journeys  ; 
but  he  was  uneasy  and  dejected,  for  this  compulsory 
silence,  with  cessation  from  study,  was  exceedingly  irk- 
some to  him.  How  could  a  man  of  his  active  mind  en- 
dure such  privations  with  any  degree  of  composure  ? 
Early  in  1877  he  writes  : 

I  have  been  suffering  from  my  throat  ever  since  I  was  in  Phil- 
adelphia. You  will  remember  I  had  a  cough  then.  Well,  it 
got  worse,  and  I  have  not  preached  for  a  month  till  last  Sunday. 
I  tried  one  sermon  then  ;  but  it  threw  me  back.  The  doctor 
says  it  will  be  a  tedious  affair.  Possibly  I  may  be  laid  up  for 
the  summer.  I  have  no  pain,  but  only  a  loss  of  voice.  My 
cough,  which  was  quite  bad,  is  nearly  all  gone  ;  now  I  must 
wait  for  strength  to  come  back  But  the  long  continu- 
ance of  the  weakness  is  beginning  to  make  me  feel  a  little  de- 
pressed. I  suppose  I  am  to  struggle  as  did  father — now  able  to 
preach,  and  then  laid  up.   But  the  doctor  tells  me  it  is  nothing ; 

if  only  we  could  fully  trust  the  doctors  We  shall 

have  a  pleasant  and  profitable  summer  ;  that  is,  if  we  do  not  get 
too  much  depressed  about  my  throat.  I  know  we  ought  to  be 
cheerful,  and  take  gladly  anything  God  sends,  but  a  weight  of 
melancholy  seems  to  press  on  me  sometimes,  and  though  I  am 
not  rebellious,  I  do  feel  sad. 

Perhaps  God  means  us  to  be  sad.  It  may  be  good  for  us  to 
be  made  to  feel  weak  and  dependent.  I  am  sure  I  inherit  from 
father  something  of  a  tendency  to  be  melancholy  at  times.* 

A  few  months  later  he  writes  more  cheerfully  :  "I  am 
feeling  very  strong  and  able  to  work ;  I  rejoice  in  the 
strength  and  want  to  use  it  for  the  best  while  I  have  it, 
knowing  that  when  the  days  of  weakness  come,  as  they 
must  come  to  all,  then  God  will  give  me  just  as  perfect 


*"  Light  on  the  Pilgrim's  Way,"  p.  22. 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


193 


peace  and  satisfaction  in  weakness,  as  I  have  now  in 
strength." 

He  had  by  this  time  secured  an  influential  reputation 
in  our  church.  He  was  known  to  be  one  of  our  most 
thorough  scholars  and  most  impressive  preachers,  and 
his  writings  in  the  reviews  and  church  papers  were  uni- 
versally admired,  and  yet  no  man  was  ever  less  ambitious 
than  he  of  gaining  the  applause  of  men  and  less  sensitive 
to  praise.  But  it  was  not  only  in  the  literary  and 
theological  departments  of  his  profession  that  he  became 
conspicuous,  but  in  many  of  the  active  operations  of  the 
church  he  felt  the  liveliest  interest.  The  mission  work 
seemed  to  be  his  favorite,  and  his  earnest  sympathy  for 
this  cause  easily  led  his  brethren  to  the  conclusion  of 
electing  him  to  the  responsible  position  of  President  of 
the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions.  This  office  he  filled  with 
great  credit  to  himself  and  advantage  to  the  Society. 

He  raised  more  money  in  his  own  church  for  the 
various  religious  societies  of  the  church  and  benevolent 
objects  in  general  than  three  or  four  other  congregations 
together,  and  it  was  all  owing  to  the  perfect  system  he 
adopted  and  the  industry  and  energy  which  he  infused  into 
the  young  persons  appointed  as  collectors  of  these  funds. 
Everything  was  admirably  arranged  and  the  whole  ma- 
chinery worked  without  friction  or  delay.  And  this,  for 
the  most  part,  is  the  secret  of  success  in  raising  funds  for 
missionary  and  other  purposes.  Many  a  minister  com- 
plains of  failures,  when  the  fault  is  in  himself  and  not  in 
his  people.  He  follows  no  system,  nor  rules,  nor  order ; 
every  thing  is  done  in  confusion,  or  is  entrusted  to  incom- 


194     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


petent  hands ;  no  pains  are  taken  to  render  the  people 
intelligent  on  the  subject,  and  no  wonder  that  failure  and 
mortification  ensue. 

Baltimore,  March,  1878. 
*  *  -x-  *  you  know  we  Americans  are  always  over- 
working ourselves.  It  is  a  tremendously  busy  age ;  we  forget 
what  Christ  said  to  the  disciples:  "Come  ye  apart  and  rest 
awhile."  We  think  nothing  will  go  unless  we  are  always  push- 
ing. I  am  learning  how  to  rest.  Some  days,  I  just  throw  my- 
self down  and  lie  on  the  lounge  and  play  with  our  boy,  or  read 
a  novel  all  day,  as  if  there  was  nothing  else  in  the  world  to  do, 
and  then  the  next  day,  I  am  fresh  again.  Sometimes  I  think 
our  feverish  activity  is  not  so  much  from  ardent  consecration  as 
from  a  lack  of  faith  in  the  vast  unseen  power  of  God  moving  on 
the  world. 

ON  THE  PUBLICATION  OF  HIS  FATHER'S  SERMONS,  TO  HIS 
BROTHER. 

Baltimore,  1876. 

My  dear  T  .  I  am  glad  for  the  advanced  condition  of  the 

"Sermons."  Some  one  asked  me  last  night  when  they  would 
be  out;  an  expression  of  interest  called  out,  I  suspect,  by  my 
article  on  father's  texts.    As  for  the  covers,  I  am  satisfied  to 

leave  that  to  you  and  S  ;  something  modest  and  yet  rich,  and 

with  a  touch  of  individuality,  so  that  the  book  is  not  lost  and  in- 
distinguishable among  the  mob  of  such  publications. 

Your  description  of  the  attractive  quality  of  father's  sermons 
reminded  me  of  one  of  Beecher's  sayings  of  popular  preaching — 
"People  like  to  hear  preaching  that  shows  them  their  own 
thoughts  idealized,  so  they  can  say,  '  I  knew  I  was  right ;  but 
now  I  see  I  was  gloriously  right ;'  " — that  is  the  substance  of  it. 
But  I  fancy  there  were  some  things  father  said,  that  many  of 
his  hearers  honored  with  a  vigorous  dissent.  I  know  he  used 
sometimes  to  have  the  comforting  testimony  of  opposition  and 
irritation  aroused  by  his  preaching.  But  on  the  whole,  how- 
ever, what  you  say  is  a  very  just  criticism. 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


195 


Did  I  ever  tell  you  of  a  scene  in  my  church  one  Sunday  night, 
apropos  of  the  above  ?  I  was  preaching  on  Lot's  choice  of  Sodom 
for  a  home  and  its  disastrous  outcome,  as  showing  the  peril  of 
worldly  association  and  the  mischief  a  man  makes  for  himself 
by  putting  wealth  and  ease  first  in  his  scheme  of  life.  At  the 
close,  after  deploring  Lot's  miserable  failure  in  fortune  and  life 
as  the  legitimate  result  of  his  mercenary  choice — I  said  :  "  Who 
would  make  Lot's  choice,  and  take  Lot's  end?"  And  at  this 
point,  a  young  man  who  had  been  twisting  and  showing  his  dis- 
satisfaction for  some  time,  rose  up  and  cried  out — "Here's  one 
that  goes  for  Lot,''''  and  picked  up  his  hat,  rushed  down  the  aisle 
and  slammed  the  door  after  him,  with  all  the  signs  of  being  in  a 
great  rage.  I  thought  at  first  he  was  drunk.  But  those  sitting 
by  told  me  he  was  not,  but  had  been  waxing  uncomfortable  all 
through  the  latter  half  of  the  sermon.    Odd,  wasn't  it? 

How  charming  the  coming  of  spring  has  been  this  year.  I 
was  out  in  the  country  a  day  or  two  ago  ;  it  was  cool  and  fresh, 
and  the  foliage  and  grass  green  of  that  brilliant  tint  that  looks  as 
if  the  fields  and  groves  were  just  about  breaking  into  a  smile.  Do 
you  know  I  was  reminded  of  Devonshire  and  the  green  hills 
there  ;  but  we  only  have  that  soft,  deep  touch  on  our  verdure 
for  a  week  of  May  and  then  it  is  gone.  We  have  such  a  fierce, 
brassy  summer.  But  as  I  looked  from  the  crest  of  a  hill  across 
a  rolling  country  of  fields  and  woods  I  thought  that  for  a  short 
time,  at  least,  we  need  not  go  away  from  home  to  find  beautiful 
nature. 

TO  HIS  STEP-MOTHER. 

Baltimore,  February  3,  1876. 

Bear  Mother :  I  have  been  troubled  a  good  deal 

with  my  church.    Whilst  I  was  away  some  difficulties  arose 

 and  I  as  pastor  cannot  escape  being  involved  in 

them.  Disputes  and  disagreements  are  bad  enough  anywhere, 
but  in  the  Church  of  Christ  they  are  a  double  grief.  I  feel  as 
though  my  hands  were  tied.  When  I  get  up  to  preach  it  seems 
all  in  vain  ;  and  it  is  hard  even  to  pray.  One  man  has  left  the 
church,  but  the  matter  is  not  settled  yet.  But  I  think  I  see  the 
way  clear  to  an  adjustment.    I  do  not  want  to  trouble  you  with 


196     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


these  things — only  I  know  yon  will  sympathize.  Father  had 
the  same  distresses,  and  I  think  they  bore  more  heavily  on 
him  than  on  me. 

I  feel  so  strong  and  well  that  I  easily  throw  the  matter  off ; 
only  I  do  grieve  for  the  church.  Of  course  such  things  retard 
the  progress  of  the  Gospel.    The  Spirit  flies  from  strife. 

Still  we  prosper.  The  church  is  in  good  condition.  This  will 
pass  over. 

Very  pleasant  things  come  in  to  refresh  and  cheer,  too.  The 
other  day  an  elderly  lady  from  Boston,  a  friend  of  R.'s,  who 
is  spending  the  winter  in  Baltimore,  applied  for  some  religious 
books  to  read  :  among  others,  I  gave  her  father's  "  Afternon  ;" 
and  she  came  back  delighted  with  it.  She  said  it  seemed  just 
written  for  her,  and  wanted  more  of  his  books.  I  gave  her 
11  The  Unseen  World  ;"  and  then  she  asked  if  he  had  no  sermons. 
Willie  gave  a  copy  of  "  Afternoon"  to  his  partner,  Mr.  Wright, 
who  you  know  is  in  consumption  ;  and  he  said  it  had  done  him 
a  great  deal  of  good.  Here  are  two,  who  never  knew  father  at 
all,  edified  and  helped  by  his  words.  I  was  worried  and  de- 
jected when  this  lady  came  to  speak  of  the  delight  father's  book 
had  given  her,  and  I  cannot  tell  you  how  the  little  incident 
cheered  and  refreshed  me.  It  made  me  think  of  the  words, 
"He  being  dead,  yet  speaketh." 

I  have  been  trying  to  stir  up  our  Conference  to  do  something 
special  for  the  debt  of  our  Foreign  Mission  Board.  It  is  a  shame 
that  we  should  be  so  supine  here  at  home,  when  our  missionaries 
are  really  harassed  in  their  work  by  money  cares.  I  see  by  the 
Observer  what  you  have  done  for  them.  You  have  your  reward. 
I  only  hope  others  may  be  stirred  up. 

Baltimore,  July  14,  1877. 
Dear  Mother:  The  cold  I  had  when  I  was  last  in  Philadel- 
phia increased  afterwards,  and  I  was  laid  off  from  preaching  for 
nearly  six  weeks.  I  was  afraid  it  was  something  serious.  My 
voice  was  very  weak.  But  now  that  is  all  past.  I  am  preaching 
again,  once  a  day,  and  my  throat  is  rapidly  regaining  its  usual 
vigor. 

One  thing  that  helped  me  to  get  well  sooner  was  a  press  of 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


197 


business  in  church  matters  that  gave  me  no  time  to  think  about 
my  condition. 

You  know,  I  suppose,  that  a  change  has  been  made  in  the 
Board  of  Missions.  Most  of  the  old  Board  have  been  removed, 
and  the  new  body  is  composed  of  ministers  and  laymen  in  Balti- 
more and  Washington.  This  was  that  the  members  might  be 
all  in  the  same  neighborhood,  to  facilitate  conference  and  the 
dispatch  of  business.  I  have  been  appointed  President  of  the 
Board  in  place  of  Dr.  Albert,  and  new  men  fill  the  other  offices. 

This  makes  quite  a  clean  sweep.  I  knew  nothing  of  it  till  it 
was  all  done.  I  should  have  opposed  the  change  had  I  known 
it  in  time.  For  one  thing,  I  hardly  feel  able  for  the  responsi- 
bility and  additional  labor  it  imposes  on  me.  I  am  not  strong, 
and  what  strength  I  have  I  think  I  could  use  for  the  church  in 
a  more  private  station,  to  greater  advantage.  A  great  deal  of 
planning,  correspondence  and  general  direction  comes  neces- 
sarily upon  me.  My  doctor  opposed  my  assuming  the  position, 
but  I  consented  to  try  it  for  three  months.  I  have  got  things 
pretty  well  into  shape  for  the  rest  of  the  summer,  and  now  I 
think  of  taking  some  rest.  I  went  to  Gettysburg  to  deliver 
an  address  to  the  young  men  at  Commencement ;  I  had  also  a 
good  deal  of  work  in  the  Board  of  the  Seminary  of  which  I 
am  a  director,  so  I  came  home  quite  tired,  but  I  am  rested  now, 
and  feel  ready  for  fresh  labor.  The  older  I  get  the  more  I  feel 
the  force  of  Christ's  words:  "The  night  cometh  in  which  no 
man  can  work  ;"  and  the  more  peace  and  joy  I  have  in  serving 
Him  and  my  fellow -men.  It  is  a  great  blessedness  to  feel  that 
I  can  do  something  to  be  helpful  to  men,  to  know  the  sympathy 
of  seeking  goodness  for  myself  and  for  others,  and  to  be  a  co- 
laborer  with  God.  I  am  not  restless,  nor  feverish  ;  but  while  I 
work  more,  I  have  a  great  inward  calm.  I  am  subject  occasion- 
ally to  fits  of  melancholy,  like  father  ;  but  these  I  think  are 
only  the  reaction  from  work.  And  most  of  the  time  I  can  say 
"great  is  their  peace  who  wait  on  Thee." 

********* 


198     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


TO  HIS  STEP-MOTHER. 

Baltimore,  December,  1877. 
My  work  is  prospering  measurably.  I  believe  I  am  one  who 
is  destined  never  to  have  any  great  success,  nor  any  great  fail- 
ure. I  jog  along  the  foot-path  way.  I  can't  say  but  that  I 
would  like  to  have  something  more  stirring  and  marked,  a 
great  crowd  to  preach  to,  many  and  striking  conversions — large 
achievements.  But  if  I  am  to  do  ordinary  work  in  a  quiet  way 
I  hope  to  be  satisfied.  I  was  much  struck  lately  by  a  remark 
made  in  the  Spectator,  apropos  of  the  life  of  a  good  man  who, 
with  many  opportunities  and  some  fine  gifts,  yet  failed  of  his 
chief  project  for  doing  good,  and  passed  away  impressed  by  the 
thought  that  he  had  achieved  very  little.  His  character,  how- 
ever, was  greatly  chastened  and  ripened  as  he  grew  old,  and  the 
reviewer  says  his  friends  at  last  recognized  in  his  life  "  that  the 
highest  end  of  existence  is  neither  to  shine  nor  to  achieve,  but 
to  do  the  Divine  will."  That,  after  all,  is  the  deepest  truth  ;  we 
fall  back  on  that,  when  all  else  fails  ;  that  we  cannot  be  disap- 
pointed of — being  one  with  Christ  in  accepting  and  accomplish- 
ing God's  will. 

There  have  been  a  good  many  deaths  in  my  church  this  fall. 
And  the  hard  times  press  everybody.  They  have  been  rather  dark 
days — not  to  me  personally,  but  in  the  sympathies  called  forth 
for  others.  I  have  been  trying  to  help  a  good  many  ;  and,  to  tell 
the  truth,  I  have  been  imposed  upon  by  some  plausible  rogues. 
I  have  been  a  little  mortified  to  find  how  much  I  have  lacked 
the  "  wisdom  of  the  serpent."  You  will  say  that  is  no  fault ; 
but  I  think  it  is .  It  is  our  duty  to  get  wisdom,  to  learn,  to  know 
how  to  help  men  without  being  imposed  on.  Well,  I  have  learned 
something. 

My  foreign  mission  debt  effort  is  almost  finished.  We  have 
raised  the  $7,000  within  a  few  hundreds  -only  seven  more  shares 
are  needed,  and  I  have  do  doubt  those  will  be  in  after  a  few  days. 
It  has  been  right  hard  work,  but  it  has  done  the  churches  good ; 
they  are  somewhat  surprised  and  greatly  encouraged  to  see 
what  they  could  do.  It  is  not  much,  indeed  ;  but  it  is  a  step  in 
advance. 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


199 


I  am  down  for  a  paper  on  "Liturgies"  at  the  Diet  to  be  held 
in  Dr.  Baum's  church,  December  27th.  So  you  may  look  for 
me  about  that  time.  I  hope  we  may  get  some  food  out  of  this 
meeting.  We  come  together  not  to  dispute  and  legislate,  but  to 
confer  together  as  brethren  on  great  points  of  church  life.  I 
could  have  wished  that  the  subject  had  taken  a  more  practical 
turn,  but  I  had  no  choice  in  that. 
********* 

LETTER  TO  HIS  STEP-MOTHER. 

Baltimore,  March  27,  1878. 

 My  eyes  are  getting  better.  I  use  them  two  hours 

a  day  now,  and  that  suffices  for  the  present.  My  enforced  rest 
was  good  for  me.  I  went  out  to  visit  my  people,  and  had  plenty 
of  time  to  sit  in  my  chair  by  the  fire  and  think.  Meditation  I 
find  quite  as  profitable  as  study.  It  is  good  to  be  pulled  up  in 
the  midst  of  active  labors  and  be  compelled  to  stop  and  think 
on  one's  ways.  I  find  when  I  am  well,  and  have  nothing  to  hin- 
der my  activity,  I  get  going  too  fast — I  become  absorbed  in  what 
I  am  doing,  and  lose  myself.  Then  comes  a  spell  that  throws 
me  back  on  myself — as  the  old  devout  writers  say,  I  re-collect 
myself ;  I  find  where  I  am  ;  I  see  what  a  poor  thing  one's  best 
work  is.  I  get  time  to  settle,  and  that  is  a  good  thing,  for  there 
is  no  doubt  one's  heart  and  life  get  turbid  by  too  much  business 
here  and  there.  In  this  way  I  get  a  fresh  hold  on  reality,  on 
God,  and  then  I  am  off  again.  So  I  do  not  feel  it  lost  time  when 
I  cannot  study  or  write.  It  is  so  good  to  be  fallen  for  a  time  ; 
to  be  perfectly  passive,  and  find  how  God  works  on  us  when  we 
can  do  nothing . 

The  trouble  with  this  age,  religiously,  as  well  as  in  other 
things,  is  its  intense  activity  outwardly  ;  it  has  no  time  to  think 
— to  be  still  before  God,  and  recognize  how  vast  is  that  power 
that  is  working  in  us  and  through  us.  Our  intense  practicability 
and  hurrying  to  and  fro  stir  up  a  cloud  of  dust  that  hides  God 
from  us. 

*         *  *         *         *         *         *         *  * 


200     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


Baltimore,  February  11,  1879. 

Dear  Mother :  I  have  been  intending  to  write  for  some  days  ; 
but  every  day  seems  full  to  the  brim.  I  am  glad  you  get  any  com- 
fort or  cheer  out  of  my  letters.  I  know  I  ought  to  write  oftener ; 
but  I  never  yet  have  got  over  the  miserable  fault  of  procrasti- 
nation in  letter-writing. 

Since  the  first  of  the  year  I  have  been  very  busy  with  a  series 
of  meetings  in  my  church.  We  began  the  year  by  observing  the 
Week  of  Prayer  in  union  with  all  the  churches,  and  a  good  week 
it  was  for  us — it  gave  us  a  start.  Then  we  had  meetings  in  our 
own  church  without  intermission  night  after  night.  We  are 
now  in  the  fifth  week.  And  what  has  come  of  it  ?  Well,  the 
church  has  been  much  quickened,  a  few  of  careless  young  peo- 
ple have  been  brought  back,  and  there  have  been  a  few  conver- 
sions. But  the  work  thus  far  has  been  chiefly  in  the  church  it- 
self. You  know  it  must  begin  there  ;  and  my  church  needed  it. 
We  have  had  a  great  deal  of  what  I  call  "dead-wood" — mere 
nominal  professors,  who  come  in  and  go  out,  and  are  very  respect- 
able, but  have  no  real  life.  They  have  been  a  burden  on  me  and 
a  hindrance  to  the  real  work  of  the  church,  and  now  I  think  the 
rubbish  is  getting  on  fire. 

I  have  had  some  very  interesting  experience  in  watching  the 
flush  of  life  come  into  souls — these  torpid  souls.  I  never  tire  of 
the  wonder  there  is  in  a  soul  that  begins  to  come  to  itself,  and 
opens  its  eyes  on  the  spiritual  world.  The  wonder,  the  vision 
that  comes  to  them  then,  of  a  new  existence  that  was  before 
unseen — they  are  a  miracle. 

I  have  done  all  the  work  myself,  preaching  every  night.  I 
have  held  out  wonderfully  well,  for  preaching,  it  comes  very 
easy.  You  know  I  seldom  write,  but  make  a  few  notes,  and 
then  dash  on. 

My  congregations  have  doubled  in  size,  and  strangers  are  com- 
ing in.  But  I  do  not  expect  to  go  on  much  longer  There  is 
such  a  thing  as  an  excess  of  religious  meetings,  and  I  am  not 
going  to  have  my  people  strained  unreasonably. 

I  have  been  quite  intimately  associated  with  Mr.  Moody  in  his 
work  here.    He  is  a  rough  man,  with  no  education  outside  of 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


201 


the  Bible,  but  there  is  a  great  charm  about  him.  His  humility, 
frankness,  sweetness  of  temper,  and  downright  sincerity,  make 
him  very  attractive.  I  took  his  place  one  night  at  his  request ; 
he  was  taken  sick,  and  asked  me  to  preach  for  him.  I  had  a 
great  church  packed  with  people. 

TO  HIS  STEP-MOTHER. 

Baltimore,  September,  1879. 

 I  am  busy  just  now,  in  addition  to  my  other  work, 

in  reviewing  Dr.  Sprecher's  new  book  on  theology.  It  is  a  huge 
work  (500  octavo  pages)  of  very  tough  and  profound  writing, 
and  it  is  quite  a  task  to  go  through  with  it  faithfully.  It  will 
be  a  credit  to  our  Lutheran  church,  and  though  very  philosophi- 
cal, is  very  full  of  the  Spirit  of  the  Gospel.  I  have  found  it 
quite  stirring.  But  you  will  see  my  review  of  it  in  the  Observer 
and  in  the  Quarterly. 

I  have  been  reading  a  very  tender  and  deeply  spiritual  book 
this  summer,  "  The  Letters  of  Thomas  Erskine.^  He  was  a  very 
deep  and  earnest  Christian  of  Scotland,  a  friend  of  Dr.  Chal- 
mers. His  presentation  of  Christian  truth  struck  me  as  very 
rich  and  sweet.  You  may  have  noticed  a  story  I  quoted  from 
him  in  a  piece  in  the  Observer  of  last  week.  He  specially  dwells 
on  the  thought  of  our  fellowship  in  the  sufferings  of  Christ ;  and 
that  the  Christian  is  not  complete  in  Christ  until  not  only  he  has 
received  Christ  crucified  for  him,  but  is  also  crucified  with  Him. 
That  I  think  is  a  very  deep,  and  though  at  first-sight  a  repelling, 
yet  when  we  experience  it,  a  very  precious  truth  of  our  holy 
faith.  To  die  to  self,  to  be  baptized  in  suffering,  to  receive  the 
strokes  of  God,  and  so  to  rise  in  Christ,  and  to  be  one  with  Him 
— that  to  me  of  late  is  growing  more  and  more  a  rich,  part  of  the 
faith. 

*  #  #  *  *  *  *  *  * 

TO  HIS  BROTHER,  T.  B.  STORK. 

Baltimore,  October  8,  1879. 

 I  can  imagine  how  happy  you  must  be  in  your 

home.  The  touch  of  the  earth — one's  own  bit  of  mother-earth— 


202     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


gives  a  flavor  to  life  that  is  unique ;  it  is  the  homely  flavor  that 
gives  to  all  the  rest  of  life's  finer  experience  the  sense  of  reality, 
of  being  solidly  based,  and  not  a  mere  dream.  I  never  had  a 
bit  of  ground  myself,  and  have  always  lived  in  houses  that  were 
mine  only  by  a  fiction .  I  am  like  Abram,  who  lived  in  tents, 
and  had  not  a  foot  of  ground  in  the  land  promised  him.  But  I 
enjoy  the  earth-love  by  proxy.  I  have  had  so  many  friends 
that  were  rooted  in  their  own  soil,  and  by  a  sympathetic  trans- 
fer I  tested  their  experience. 

One  of  the  drawbacks  to  a  minister's  life  is,  that  he  never  takes 
root  ;  that  is,  he  of  course  does  fasten  to  the  place  of  his  labor 
by  many  very  tender  and  pleasant  ties,  but  they  are  only  root- 
lets after  all — he  never  can  let  himself  strike  down,  so  to  speak, 
a  tap-root,  and  be  anchored  for  life.  In  some  sort  of  sense  he 
is  always  feeling  that  his  field  is  the  world. 

I  have  just  had  under  consideration  a  proposal  to  go  to  San 
Francisco  ;  there  were  many  reasons  to  urge  my  going,  but  I 
finally  settled  to  decline,  because  of  the  danger  my  throat  would 
be  in  from  that  raw  climate.  And  now  I  am  thinking  of  a  call 
to  another  far-away  city.  Probably  I  shall  not  go,  but  the 
mere  openness  a  minister  must  feel  to  these  calls  hither  and 
thither,  all  give  him  the  sense  of  a  rover.  I  read  last  night  a 
beautiful  prayer  of  an  old  German  which  ends  thus,  and  some- 
how it  seems  to  voice  my  feeling — "  Adde  animum  imperterritum, 
ut  ex  hac  vita  tanquam  ex  hospitio,  non  tanquam  ex  domo,  Te 
jubente,  placide  discedam.'''' 

But  I  enter  into  your  feeling  about  your  spot  of  earth ;  it  is 
natural,  healthy,  and  one  of  God's  very  best  gifts  to  us  here.  I 
am  glad  to  see  a  man  settled  on  his  own  turf ;  and  when  I  walk 
about  with  a  friend  over  his  place,  that  home-feeling  seems  to 
me  to  be  one  of  the  sweetest  senses  that  this  old  earth  of  ours 
can  afford. 

■5k  *  *  *  *  #  *  * 

Baltimore,  Sept.  28,  1880. 
Dear  Mother  :  Thanks  for  you  for  the  recipe  for  a  throat-gar- 
gle ;  I  should  think  it  would  be  ^,ood.    My  voice  is  something 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


203 


better,  and  I  think  on  the  whole  I  am  improving ;  but  it  is  slow 
work. 

I  found  my  church  in  good  condition.  The  people  received 
me  cordially,  and  I  set  to  work  with  good  heart.  I  am  only 
preaching  once  on  Sunday  for  the  present,  till  my  voice  im- 
proves. 

We  have  been  quite  busy  in  Foreign  Mission  matters,  getting 
a  missionary  to  take  Mr.  Rowe's  place  in  India.  We  think  we 
have  a  man,  one  who  will  make  a  most  excellent  missionary. 
But  Mr.  Rowe  will  tell  you  all  about  this  when  he  sees  you. 
He  expects  to  be  in  Philadelphia  at  the  end  of  this  week,  when 
he  will  call  upon  you,  and  explain  all  India  matters. 

Baltimore,  April,  1880. 

 The  older  I  get  the  more  I  feel  that  there,  after 

all,  is  our  strength.  I  used  to  think  when  I  was  beginning  my 
ministry  that  I  was  strong  and  able  to  do  great  things,  but 
every  year  I  am  less  and  less  self-confident ;  I  think  sometimes 
I  am  growing  timid  ;  but  I  trust  a  great  deal  more  in  God,  and 
I  go  to  Him  more. 

I  am  trying  just  now  to  patch  myself  up  ;  I  have  been  going 
through  a  siege  at  the  dentist's,  and  I  go  every  morning  to  a 
new  physician  who  promises  to  cure  my  throat.  He  has  already 
done  me  good,  and  I  think  I  am  in  a  fair  way  to  get  rid  of  the 
soreness  and  hoarseness  ;  but  the  process  by  syringing  the  throat 
is  very  disagreeable  and  even  painful.  What  an  amount  of 
patching  and  mending  these  poor  bodies  of  ours  require  ! 

My  church  goes  along  in  a  steady  way,  though  I  have  been 
much  depressed  of  late  to  see  how  little  good,  in  comparison 
with  what  I  hoped  to  do,  I  am  effecting.  I  measure  my  pastoral 
success  by  what  father  used  to  do,  and  I  see  how  far  short  I 
come  of  what  he  was  able  to  do,  and  I  feel  cast  down.  Some- 
times I  think  I  inherit  more  of  his  melancholy  and  timidity  than 
of  his  effective  gifts.  I  feel  sad  and  unable  to  do  any  work  from 
an  influx  of  unreasonable  despondency,  and  it  is  only  by  prayer 
and  active  exertion  that  I  succeed  at  all  in  shutting  it  off.  I 


204     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


look  back  over  my  life,  and  it  seems  sometimes  as  if  I  had  done 
nothing  at  all,  that  I  have  been  only  an  unfaithful  and  wasteful 
servant.  I  am  afraid  I  have  been  naturally  very  proud  and  self- 
sufficient,  and  it  has  required  a  great  deal  of  humbling  and  pain- 
ful experience  to  bring  me  to  a  true  and  real  sense  of  just  what 
I  am.  I  have  no  complaint  to  make  of  God  or  any  one,  but  it 
does  make  me  sad  to  think  I  have  come  to  be  over  forty  and 
have  made  so  little  real  spiritual  progress.  People  look  to  me 
for  counsel  and  inspiration  and  guidance,  and  I  often  feel  as  if 
I  was  unfit  to  guide  or  inspire  any  one  ;  I  need  to  be  counseled 
and  led  myself.  Well,  God  has  told  us  to  come  to  Him  and  be 
counseled  and  inspired  by  Him ;  and  all  I  can  do  is  just  to 
throw  myself  on  Him,  and  beg  Him  to  have  patience  with  me 
and  give  me  greater  measure  of  grace,  and  to  fit  me  yet  for 
better  service. 

I  did  not  mean  to  write  in  such  a  doleful  strain,  but  somehow 
it  has  come  of  itself.  There  are  so  few  to  whom  I  can  speak 
the  deeper  troubles  of  my  soul ;  so  few  who  are  like-minded, 
and  can  understand  what  one  means  by  feeling  empty  and  poor 
in  spirit.  Sometimes  I  think  the  only  blessing  I  can  fully  claim 
is  that  first  one,  "Blessed  are  the  poor  inspirit,"  for  I  am  feeling 
of  late  very  poor  in  spirit. 
*         *         *         *         *         *         *        _  4':  1  * 

Dear  Mother  :  The  last  few  days  have  made  us  feel  as  though 
summer  were  almost  over  ;  there  is  a  feeling  of  autumn  in  the 
air.  How  swiftly  the  seasons  and  years  flee  away  !  I  am 
sorry  the  summer  rest  has  not  done  for  me  what  I  had  hoped 
it  would.  I  kept  getting  steadily  worse  till  the  middle  of 
August ;  then  things  seemed  to  take  a  turn  upward,  and 
I  have  been  slowly  improving.  I  am  under  the  treatment  of 
a  physician  who  has  been  quite  successful  in  throat  diseases. 
He  promises  me  that  I  shall  be  fit  for  work  by  November  or,  at 
the  latest,  December.  But  till  then  he  forbids  me  to  preach  or 
lecture  even  in  the  class-room.  I  shall  make  arrangements  to 
be  relieved  of  work  till  the  middle  of  November.  Then  I  hope 
to  go  on — this  is  the  hopeful  view.  Of  course  there  is  another 
side  ;  I  may  go  back  again.    I  think  my  throat  is  a  good  deal 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


205 


like  father's,  and  I  suppose  at  last  it  will  carry  me  off.  But 
whatever  comes,  it  is  all  right.  I  am  ready  to  go  on  and  work, 
and  I  hope  I  am  ready  to  lay  down  work  if  the  Master  says  so, 
and  go  hence.  I  do  think  these  sufferings  of  the  body,  telling 
us  how  weak  we  are,  how  frail  the  thread  that  holds  us  here, 
help  to  make  us  sit  light  to  the  world,  and  to  give  up  what  we 
naturally  cling  to. 

 The  Seminary  is  thoroughly  repaired,  the  painting 

done  well,  and  everything,  thanks  to  you,  looks  well,  fresh,  clean 
and  strong. 

You  will  see  in  the  September  number  of  the  Missionary 
Journal,  that  I  have  taken  your  remarks  in  your  last  letter  as 
the  text  of  an  editorial  on  "Our  Hindrances."  I,  with  you, 
grieve  at  the  slowness  of  God's  people  to  answer  to  the  cry  to 
come  to  the  help  of  the  Lord  ;  but  yet  there  are  gleams  of 
brightness;  there  are  the  faithful  ones  and  the  Lord  reigneth. 

LETTER  FROM  C.  A.  STORK. 

Baltimore,  March,  1880. 
Dear  Mother :  I  am,  indeed,  hard  at  work,  doing  what  I  can, 
and  having  to  refuse  to  do  a  great  deal  more.  I  have  had  a  cold 
in  my  system  for  the  last  few  months  that  has  exhausted  me  a 
good  deal.  This  new  Missionary  Journal,  too,  takes  a  great  deal 
of  time  and  thought.    So  I  should  be  glad  to  rest  after  Easter. 

 As  to  going  to  Atlantic  City,  I  do  not  know  ;  I  do 

love  the  sea,  and  it  reste  me.  Will  Theo.  go  ?  But  that  can  be 
disposed  of  after  I  get  to  Germantown.  I  have  some  thoughts 
of  going  on  to  New  York  for  a  few  days  ;  but  I  have  fixed  on 

nothing  It  is  a  great  pity  Mr.  Rowe  must  return 

from  India,  but  I  suppose  there  is  no  help  for  it.  We  are  look- 
ing about  for  some  one  to  take  his  place  :  it  is  hard  to  find  one 
who  is  strong  enough  in  body,  able  enough  in  mind,  and  at  the 
same  time  fervent  enough  in  spirit  to  be  sent  out  as  a  missionary. 
We  had  one  young  man  in  mind  who  was  fully  qualified,  and 
full  of  zeal  to  go  but  the  Doctor  said  no  he  would  not  be  able 
to  stand  the  climate  for  six  months.  So  him  we  had  to  give  up. 
10 


206     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


As  to  the  Madras  Scholarship,  I  think  it  would  be  best  to  de- 
fer acting  in  that  matter  till  we  see  Mr.  Rowe.  The  Board 
have  been  discussing  the  expediency  of  postponing  the  erection 
of  the  boys'  boarding  school  of  which  Mr.  Uhl  wrote,  and  for 
which  you  gave  the  $300,  and  putting  up  first  a  school  and  room 
for  the  Zenana  work  among  the  women,  which  has  opened  a 
new  field  for  our  mission.  Of  course  that  will  be  just  as  you  say. 
If  you  prefer  the  boys'  boarding  school,  as  you  proposed,  that 
will  go  on  ;  but  if  you  would  wish  to  have  the  Zenana  school 
for  the  caste  girls  and  women,  you  could  transfer  the  money  to 
that  purpose.  We  have  already  sent  the  money  out  to  India 
with  instructions  to  build  the  boys'  school ;  but,  perhaps,  it 
would  be  better  to  let  that  wait,  and  hasten  on  with  the  Zenana 
school  building.    It  will  be  just  as  you  wish. 

And  now  about  scholarships  in  our  institution  for  the  grand- 
children. Many  thanks,  dear  mother,  for  your  kind  fore- 
thought :  as  you  suggested,  education  is  the  best  thing  we  can 
give  to  those  that  are  to  come  after  us.  As  to  scholarships  for 
the  girls  in  our  female  seminaries,  there  are  no  provisions  of 
that  sort  made  in  female  schools.  That  arrangement  is  only 
found  in  our  colleges.  For  the  boys  a  scholarship  can  easily 
be  had  in  the  college  at  Gettysburg.  What  the  cost  would  be, 
and  the  details,  I  do  not  exactly  know.  I  will  inquire  and  find 
out  all  about  it  ;  and  then  we  will  discuss  the  matter  when  I  see 
you  after  Easter. 

Dr.  Brown's  sad  condition  has  put  everything  in  such  an  un- 
certain state  at  the  Seminary,  that  we  all  feel  unsettled  as  to 
what  is  to  come  out  of  it  in  our  educational  work.  You  know 
the  probabilities  are  that  his  mind  will  never  be  fit  for  much 
again.  They  have  already  asked  me  to  take  the  Review.  I 
would  like  to  do  it ;  but  I  cannot  take  any  more  such  loads.  I 
promised  to  do  what  I  could  to  help  them  ;  but  the  control  and 
headship  of  so  grave  a  responsibility  I  felt  constrained  to  de- 
cline. 

My  people  are  fearing  they  may  want  to  call  me  to  Gettys- 
burg to  teach  there.  I  trouble  myself  not  at  all  about  it ;  all 
these  things  are  in  the  future,  out  of  my  reach,  and  I  feel  that  I 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


207 


have  no  right  to  be  taking  serious  thought  about  such  a  far-off 
morrow.  If  God  wants  me  to  go,  He  will  let  me  know  in  due 
time.  In  the  meanwhile  I  live  on  from  day  to  day,  not  fore- 
casting the  future,  but  doing  the  work  of  the  present. 

Baltimore,  72  N.Paca  St.,  Oct.  21,  1880. 

 You  will  notice  by  the  Observer  that  our  Mission 

Boards  have  requested  the  churches  to  observe  Reformation 
Day,  October  31,  as  a  special  day  of  prayer  for  missions.  I 
expect  to  preach  on  the  mission  work  on  that  day,  and  to  have 
a  prayer-meeting  in  that  interest. 

My  throat  is  slowly  gaining  strength.  I  spoke  last  Sunday 
twice  without  any  serious  difficulty.  It  seems  to  me  Doctor 
Da  Costa's  treatment  has  done  more  for  me  than  anything  else 
I  have  had.  My  voice  is  gradually  growing  stronger,  and 
gives  promise  of  complete  restoration.  I  feel  thankful  to 
God  for  this  among  so  many  other  and  greater  mercies.  I  have 
some  notion  of  running  over  to  Philadelphia  to  see  Doctor  Da 
Costa  some  time  before  Christmas. 

My  general  health  is  good  ;  and  I  feel  encouraged  in  my  work. 
We  are  all  settled  down  at  home  once  more.  Ritie  and  the 
children  are  in  excellent  health,  and  everything  moves  on  in 
quiet  and  comfort. 

We  are  thinking  of  celebrating  the  20th  anniversary  of  the 
establishment  of  St.  Mark's  in  the  early  part  of  November.  We 
expect  to  have  a  Sunday-school  celebration  on  Sunday,  Novem- 
ber 14,  and  a  church  anniversary  address  and  social  gathering 
during  the  week  preceding.  In  twenty  years  God  has  blessed 
the  church  very  greatly,  and  made  it  the  means  of  blessing  to 
the  community  here,  and  to  our  Lutheran  church  generally. 
So  we  wish  to  celebrate  what  the  Lord  has  done  for  us.  I  wish 
you  could  be  here  to  join  us,  in  the  memory,  among  other 
things,  of  father  and  his  work  here. 

We  are  just  getting  through  with  the  distraction  of  our  great 
Sequi-Centennial  Baltimore  celebration.  It  has  been  a  week  of 
excitement  and  show  ;  the  city  has  been  crowded  ;  all  business 


208     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


suspended,  and  church  work  crowded  out ;  and  all  has  been 
gaiety  and  sight-seeing.  I  confess  for  one  I  have  had  enough 
and  long  for  quiet.  The  splendor  and  shows  of  the  world  one 
soon  sickens  of :  they  are  not  satisfying. 

*     ,      *  *  *  *  *  .        *         '  #Jm 


CHAPTER  V. 


ELECTION  TO  GETTYSBURG — POSITION — DEVOTEDNESS  TO  HIS 
WORK — HESITATION  IN  DECIDING — REASONS  FOR  ACCEPTING 
— LETTERS  TO  FORMER  STUDENTS — WISE  COUNSELS — LETTERS. 

THE  evidences  of  increasing  infirmity  and  of  inability 
to  preach  were  alarmingly  plain.  There  was  a  va- 
cancy in  the  Theological  Faculty,  occasioned  by  the 
lamented  death  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Brown,  and  all  eyes 
were  turned  to  Dr.  Stork  as  his  successor ;  and  yet  the 
question  was,  could  he  lecture  five  or  six  times  a  week 
when  he  could  not  preach  ?  He  was  willing  to  make  the 
trial,  and  succeeded  well  for  some  months.  He  gave  a 
course  of  lectures  on  Didactic  Theology  characterized  by 
his  intellectual  power,  his  profound  yet  distinct  thinking, 
and  thorough  acquaintance  with  the  subjects  treated. 
His  style  of  lecturing  was  pleasing,  and  his  pupils  are 
enthusiastic  in  their  praises  of  him  as  a  teacher.  The 
man  who  was  not  profited  by  Dr.  Stork's  instruction 
must  have  been  incapable  of  appreciating;;  every  thing 
intellectually  refined  and  elegant.  Although  he  had 
himself  sat  at  the  feet  of  the  theological  Gamaliels  at 
Andover,  yet  he  did  not  copy  their  style  or  mode  of  teach- 
ing, and  pursued  methods  of  his  own.  As  in  all  other 
things,  he  never  followed  the  ways  of  any  master.  He 
struck  out  in  independent  paths,  and  came  to  conclusions 
as  the  result  of  his  own  reflection  and  researches. 

(209) 


210     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 

It  was  a  sore  trial  to  leave  St.  Mark's.  For  twenty- 
years  he  had  served  that  people  faithfully,  and  though 
sickness  more  than  once  interrupted  his  work  for  a 
season,  the  mutual  attachment  was  strong,  and  the  part- 
ing was  painful. 

He  greatly  enjoyed  his  work  as  a  professor  and  also 
occasionally  preached  in  the  churches  of  the  town  and 
elsewhere.  His  home  was  delightful,  and  a  generous 
hospitality  was  dispensed  to  his  friends. 

After  the  lapse  of  a  year,  he  writes:  "I  am  glad  my 
first  year's  work  is  nearly  over.  It  ends  June  25th.  It 
has  been  quite  hard  for  me,  making  lectures  on  new  sub- 
jects. I  have  been  kept  too  close  in  my  study.  But 
the  summer  vacation  will  mend  that :  and  next  year  I 
shall  not  be  pressed  so  hard. 

"I  hope  I  am  doing  good  here,  but  I  find  in  doing 
work  for  the  Lord,  as  in  all  the  Christian  life,  we  must 
walk  by  faith,  not  by  sight.  We  cannot  see  always  that 
we  are  really  accomplishing  anything.  The  only  way  I 
find  is  to  live  day  by  day,  being  sure  that  the  Lord  has 
given  us  a  certain  work  to  do,  and  then  doing  it,  even 
though  we  cannot  see  the  fruit.  I  preached  yesterday 
on  Mary's  words  at  the  feast  of  Cana,  'Whatsoever  he 
saith  unto  you,  do  it.'  How  simple  and  beautiful  that 
rule  is — to  take  our  work  from  His  lips,  our  particular 
work,  whatever  it  is— and  then  faithfully  and  loyally  to 
do  it  just  because  He  says  it.* 


*  Light  on  the  Pilgrim's  Way,  p.  26. 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


211 


LETTERS  TO  HIS  STEP-MOTHER. 

Baltimore,  July  7,  1881. 

I  write  to  you  at  once  on  making  my  decision  about  Gettys- 
burg. I  have  just  written  to  the  Board  of  Directors  accepting 
the  call.  I  shall  be  with  my  church  here  till  October  1,  when 
I  go  to  Gettysburg  to  begin  work  in  the  Seminary. 

1  need  not  tell  you  that  it  has  been  hard  to  decide.  I  love  the 
pastoral  office  ;  I  love  my  work  and  people.  I  dislike  the  busi- 
ness of  teaching  I  do  not  believe  I  shall  enjoy  my 

new  duties  and  responsibilities  as  I  have  those  here  ;  in  all  re- 
spects it  looks  forbidding  and  dreary  to  me. 

Why  then,  you  will  ask — why  go?  To  that  my  dear 
mother,  there  is  but  one  answer :  I  have  come  to  a  deep 
conviction  that  God  says  to  me — go.  I  have  pondered  and 
prayed  ;  for  a  long  time  I  have  foreseen  what  was  coming, 
and  I  have  tried  to  see  the  whole  situation ;  and  then  I 
prayed  over  it  continually.  And  the  longer  I  dwelt  on  it,  the 
more  I  seemed  shut  up  to  this  one  path.  And  now  how 
could  I  say  no  ?  All  my  wishes  bid  me  to  refuse,  and  I  go  with 
only  one  reason  for  going — that  God  would  have  me  go. 

It  seems  as  I  look  around  that  there  is  none  else  to  go.  The 
whole  church  fixes  on  me.  Again  and  again  I  have  put  it  away, 
and  still  the  call  returns.  And  so  I  feel  like  a  soldier  who  is 
sent  out  on  a  hard  campaign — every  consideration  of  personal 
comfort  and  peace  urges  him  to  stay  at  home  ;  but  his  duty 
sends  him  out. 

One  of  the  things  that  have  helped  to  embarrass  me  is  the  re- 
duction of  my  income  involved.  I  will  receive  at  Gettysburg 
about  $400  less  a  year  than  I  do  here.  And  it  does  pain  me  a 
little  to  think  of  the  pinching  process  as  applied  to  my  wife  and 
family.    For  myself  I  do  not  care  ;  I  can  live  plainer  ;  but  I  hate 

to  have  to  put  them  on  short  allowance  Another 

thing  is  the  change  of  social  relations.  We  have  been  a  family 
beloved  and  kindly  cared  for ;  but  now  we  go  out  to  be  pretty 

much  alone  All  these  things  are  against  me  ;  but 

we  have  counted  the  cost,  and  are  content. 


212     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


Do  not  think  we  are  complaining.  We  are  satisfied  to  go 
where  God  sends  :  but  I  wanted  to  tell  you  just  how  we  felt, 
and  give  you  an  insight  into  our  experience.  These  are  things 
we  do  not  speak  to  outsiders  ;  but  you  ought  to  know  all  about 
us  in  so  great  a  change. 

Gettysburg,  1882. 

 My  health  is  very  good.    The  throat  is  quite  well 

again.    I  preached  yesterday  with  good,  strong  voice,  and  had 

no  trouble  It  has  been  quite  hard  on  me  preparing 

lectures  on  a  new  subject.  I  have  been  kept  too  close  in  my 
study.  But  the  summer  vacation  will  mend  that,  and  next  year 
I  shall  not  be  pressed  so  hard.  I  hope  I  am  doing  good  here  ;  but 
I  find,  in  doing  work  for  the  Lord,  as  in  all  Christian  life,  we 
must  walk  by  faith  and  not  by  sight.  We  cannot  see  always  that 
we  are  really  accomplishing  anything.  The  only  way  is  to  live 
day  by  day,  being  sure  that  the  Lord  has  given  me  a  certain 
work  to  do,  and  then  doing  it,  though  we  cannot  see  the  fruits. 

 I  preached  yesterday  on  Mary's  words  at  the  feast 

of  Cana,  "Whatsoever  He  saith  unto  you,  do  it."  How  simple 
and  beautiful  that  rule  is  :  to  take  our  wo.k  from  His  lips,  our 
particular  work  whatever  it  is,  and  then  faithfully  and  loyally 
to  do  it,  just  because  He  says  it." 

Gettysburg,  January,  1882. 

 I  have  been  unusually  busy.    I  have  been  off  to 

preach  every  Sunday  since  Christmas,  at  various  places,  and 
once  at  St.  Mark's,  Baltimore.  The  people  received  me  very 
cordially  indeed  ;  in  fact,  I  think  they  are  more  anxious  to  hear 
me  than  they  ever  were  when  I  was  pastor.  I  enjoyed  preach- 
ing to  them  very  much  :  one  person  came  and  said  it  seemed  as 

if  every  word  went  right  to  their  souls  We  are  all 

uncommonly  well.  Gettysburg  is  a  great  place  for  health.  I 
have  no  more  headache,  and  have  lost  the  old  tired  feeling  I 
used  to  have.  The  children  are  pictures  of  rosy,  happy  health. 
So  you  see  we  have  great  blessings  of  our  Father,  for  which  we 
cannot  praise  Him  enough. 

*       *       *       *  w  "'~*~4@fl 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


213 


Gettysburg,  Feb.  1,  1882. 

Bear  Mother  :  Your  kind  gift  of  the  furnishing  of  a  room  will 
be  received  very  gratefully  by  all  of  us  who  have  charge  of  the 
Seminary.  It  came  just  in  the  right  time.  A  new  student  en- 
tered this  Christmas,  and  we  had  only  a  half-furnished  room 
left  to  give  him.  He  said  he  was  used  to  roughing  it,  and  did 
not  mind  ;  but  the  other  students  had  to  lend  him  things  from 
their  rooms  to  furnish  him  out.  Now  we  can  give  him  a  room 
comfortably  and  fully  fitted  up. 

Your  condition  that  the  room  shall  not  be  defiled  with  tobacco 
we  can  very  readily  comply  with,  for  one  of  the  rules  of  the 
Seminary  is,  that  no  smoking  is  allowed  in  any  of  the  rooms  or 
halls  of  the  building  ;  and  all  students  are  required  to  be  cleanly 
in  their  habits — no  spitting  about,  etc. 

Our  students  are  generally  a  good  class  of  young  men,  of  good 
habits.  Some  are  devoted  Christians,  already  fitted  for  a  good 
work  ;  others  are  careless  and  untrained  yet ;  but  we  are  trying 
to  teach  them  what  a  Christian  gentleman  should  be  

 The  snow-storm  was  a  beautiful  sight — all  day  it 

came  drifting  down,  and  we  watched  it  across  the  wide  land- 
scape— so  pure,  and  gentle  and  soft  it  came,  it  was  like  a  visi- 
tant from  heaven.  You  know  snow  seems  so  different  in  the 
city,  where  it  gets  dirty  as  soon  as  it  falls. 

We  had  a  good  day  on  Sunday — Day  of  Prayer  for  Colleges. 
I  addressed  the  young  men  in  the  college  in  the  morning, 
and  then  in  the  evening  I  spoke  again  at  the  union  meeting  in 
church  in  town.  One  feels  very  much  drawn  out  to  these  young 
men,  who  are  so  soon  to  be  called  to  the  place  of  trust — oh  ! 
that  they  were  all  Christ's  men. 

ft    .  * 

LETTER  TO  REV.  DR.  BORN,  SELINSGROVE,  WHO  AS  TREAS- 
URER OF  SYNOD  HAD  SENT  A  CONTRIBUTION  TO  THE 
CONTINGENT  FUND  OF  OUR  SEMINARY. 

My  Bear  Brother  Born  :  Many  thanks  for  your  remittance.  I 
enclose  a  receipt  for  the  amount.    It  was  very  welcome,  for  we 
have  had  extra  repairs,  and  our  funds  were  running  sadly  short. 
10* 


214     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


I  do  not  think  our  contingent  fund  has  yielded  this  year  very 
much  more  than  you  have  received.  You  are  to  be  congratu- 
lated on  having  such  warm  and  helpful  friends.  I  am  glad  to 
hear  you  have  been  so  relieved. 

We  have  yet  a  month  of  work,  and  the  heaviest  end  of  the 
log  comes  now.  We  shall  send  out  eight  young  men  this  year. 
The  most  of  them  have  their  fields  of  labor  in  view ;  and,  as 
with  you,  there  is  always  a  demand  for  more  preachers  than  we 
can  furnish.  I  do  not  think  that  all  our  two  Institutions  can 
send  out  will  more  than  meet  the  demand. 

I  hope  you  may  be  prospered  more  and  more.  There  is  no 
reason  why  the  two  schools  should  not  do  their  work  in  har- 
mony and  brotherly  love.  The  field  is  bigger  than  we  can  fill, 
let  us  do  our  best. 

It  would  be  pleasant  to  meet  and  have  free  talk  over  our  com- 
mon work.    I  hope  I  may  see  you  soon. 

I  have  been  suffering  a  good  deal  with  my  throat  this  spring, 
and  have  been  unable  to  preach  much.  Happily  I  can  lecture 
without  inconvenience.  Still  trouble  in  the  throat  always  makes 
us  feel  depressed,  and  mine  has  been  weighing  on  me. 

Yours  truly,  C.  A.  Stork. 

Gettysburg,  Pa.,  May  25th,  1882. 

I  here  insert  a  few  letters  to  several  of  his  students, 
which  show  his  kindness  and  his  tender  interest  in  their 
welfare  and  their  work  : 

Gettysburg,  February,  1883. 
Dear  Friend  :  Your  letter  gives  me  great  pleasure.  We  had 
all  been  wondering  what  you  were  doing,  and  how  life  seemed 
to  you  now  that  you  had  struck  out  into  the  wide  ocean  for 
yourself,  and  your  account  of  your  place  and  work  was  very 
gratifying. 

I  am  glad  that  you  are  engaging  so  heartily  in  work,  and  I 
trust  you  are  beginning  to  find  compensation  for  your  labor  in 
the  work  itself.  As  I  read  your  letter  it  recalled  all  my  own 
early  experience  in  a  half-mission  church,  with  a  handful  of 
workers,  many  of  them  not  of  a  high  grade  of  intelligence  or 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D, 


215 


social  influence,  with  all  sorts  of  labor,  worries  and  discourage- 
ments upon  me — and  yet  it  was  a  very  blessed  life.  As  I  look 
back  I  seem  to  myself  never  to  have  rightly  appreciated  the 
privilege  given  me  to  be  a  worker  with  God  upon  men.  Now  that 
I  am  cut  off  so  much  from  activity,  I  see  that  the  trials,  perplex- 
ities and  interests  that  once  appeared  quite  burdensome,  were  a 
real  gift  of  God. 

I  have  passed  through  a  winter  of  great  deal  of  physical  weak- 
ness ;  my  throat  has  been  very  troublesome,  and  is  at  present 
quite  sore.  1  have  not  been  able  to  do  more  than  half  my  work, 
and  now  the  doctor  has  ordered  me  to  milder  air.  [This  order 
was  afterwards  recalled. — J.  G.  M.] 

I  am  sorry  not  to  have  been  able  to  write  more  for  the  Observer, 
but  my  illness  has  made  it  hard  for  me  to  write.    When  I  get 

away  I  will  try  to  do  more  I  would  suggest  that  you 

try  to  get  your  people  to  do  something  for  missions.  If  possible, 
organize  in  the  Sunday-school  a  band  or  society  for  foreign  mis- 
sions.   It  will  help  the  church,  and  be  a  blessing  to  the  young. 

Baltimore,  March  30,  1883. 

 I  shall  probably  be  here  till  the  latter  part  of 

April,  when  I  hope  to  be  able  to  return  to  Gettysburg.  The 
summer  I  hope  to  spend  in  the  White  Mountains,  and  altogether 
my  expectation  is  to  be  able  for  work  in  the  fall,  though  at  one 
time  it  seemed  as  if  I  must  give  up  all  hope  of  resuming  my 
work  in  the  Seminary. 
****         *         *         *         *  * 

I  shall  always  maintain  that  no  work  gives  such  a  pure  plea- 
sure as  that  of  the  pastor.  I  have  tried  a  variety  of  things,  but 
nothing  equals  the  experience  I  had  when  in  the  vigorous  per- 
formance of  my  duty  as  preacher  and  pastor. 

You  have  taken  a  good  step  in  organizing  your  missionary 
society  in  connection  with  the  school.  It  will  be  a  school  of 
Christian  training  to  the  young,  to  yourself,  and  a  blessing  to 
the  church.  I  shall  take  what  you  say  about  it  to  make  a  note 
for  the  Missionary  Journal,     *         *         *         *  * 


216     TEE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


I  understand  how  it  is  that  the  water  sometimes  runs  low,  or 
that  the  fountain  of  knowledge  is  occasionally  exhausted.  A  per- 
manent and  full  supply  comes  only  from  continuous  and  exten- 
sive reading,  together  with  meditation.  My  experience  is  that 
everything  turns  to  material  for  preaching  when  a  man  is  bent 
on  his  work.  I  used  to  get  sermons,  or  matter  for  them,  illus- 
trations, etc.,  from  novels,  daily  news,  and  all  kinds  of  study  ; 
but  there  are  special  books  which  stimulate  sermonizing,  just  as 
certain  kinds  of  food  go  to  milk  in  animals.  Such  books  as 
Farrar's  Life  of  Christ,  his  work  on  St.  Paul ;  Geikie's  Life  and 
Work  of  Jesus ;  Conybeare  and  Howson's  Life  and  Epistles 
of  Paul,  1  have  found  very  fruitful  ;  sermons  too  of  the  sugges- 
tive order,  as  those  of  Moseley,  Brooks,  Maclaren  of  Manches- 
ter, England,  Bushnell,  and  the  like. 
*         *         *         *         *         *  #         *  ,  •  * 

You  must  find  time  to  study  and  read.  The  secret  of  the  dry- 
ing up  we  see  in  the  lives  of  some  very  good  ministers,  is  the 
failure  to  feed  their  minds  with  new  thought  by  study  and  read- 
ing. A  library  into  which  there  go  no  new  books  is  one  from 
which  come  out  sermons  with  no  fresh  thoughts. 

July  7,  1883. 

I  wish  I  could  give  a  better  account  of  my  health.  I  have 
been  slowly  improving  .  .  .  .  but  the  improvement  is  very  slow, 
and  with  many  discouraging  relapses  ;  but  God  has  given  me 
twenty  years  of  activity  in  his  service — now,  if  he  calls  me  to 
suffer  and  wait,  I  am  satisfied. 

The  physicians  have  forbidden  me  to  lecture  or  use  my  voice 
at  all  next  winter.  The  Board  have  given  me  furlough  for  a 
year,  in  which  time  I  hope  to  regain  my  usual  strength. 

July,  1883. 

I  regret  to  hear  you  had  so  many  things  to  embarrass  and  an- 
noy you  in  your  work  ;  but  it  is  often  so  in  the  beginning.  What 
you  say  of  the  discouragements  that  meet  you  reminds  me  of 
my  early  experience  in  the  ministry  ;  often  I  lelt  as  if  I  could 
not  bear  the  burden  much  longer.   But  God  held  me  up  and  led 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


217 


me  on,  and  the  lions  I  found  in  the  way  were  chained.  Perhaps 
you  do  not  see  such  fruit  of  your  labor  as  you  could  wish.  You 
seem  to  toil  long,  and  sometimes  achieve  nothing.  Well,  you 
must  have  faith  in  God,  and  hold  on.  We  are  often  building 
better  than  we  know,  and  the  accomplished  result  comes  at  last 
when  we  least  expect  it. 

You  must  remember,  too,  that  God  has  you  in  training  ;  you 
are  learning  how  to  endure  hardship  as  a  good  soldier  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  you  are  being  made  capable  of  greater  work  by  your 
hard  experience  now.  An  old  minister  told  me  once  when  in 
my  youth  I  was  depressed  by  having  so  little  success,  that  I  was 
having  as  much  success  as  God  saw  was  good  for  me  to  have. 

I  wish  I  could  help  you;  but  though  you  have  a  sea  of  trouble 
to  struggle  through  now,  I  know  it  will  come  out  well  with 
you. 

 Your  account  of  the  state  of  things  where  you 

are  at  work  is  encouraging.  You  have  a  good  opening,  a  field 
for  work,  the  sense  that  you  have  been  sent  of  God  to  this  work  ; 
your  weapons  are  newly  sharpened  and  burnished — and  now 
what  more  can  a  man  want? 

I  hope  you  are  enjoying  your  work.  You  ought  to.  I  say 
this  with  something  of  a  sorrowful  recollection  of  how  little  I 
myself  enjoyed  the  first  year  of  my  ministry.  I  worked  against 
the  grain  for  some  years,  feeling  that  I  was  called  of  God,  that 
there  was  nothing  else  for  me  to  do  in  the  world,  and  trying 
with  all  my  might  to  do  my  work  in  the  best  way,  and  yet  con- 
scious that  I  was  not  hitting  the  nail  on  the  head  at  all.  At 
last  1  worked  out  into  the  clear,  and  then  the  ministry  was  a 
continual  field  of  delight.  Perhaps  my  long  apprenticeship 
when  I  fumbled  about  and  botched  everything,  was  one  reason 
why  I  learned  to  preach  as  well  as  I  did  ;  above  all,  perhaps,  it 
was  what  trained  me  to  be  a  teacher  of  other  preachers.  There 
is  no  bungling  that  I  cannot  sympathize  with,  having  been  such 
a  bungler  myself. 

I  follow  with  deep  interest  and  sympathy  you  young  brethren 
who  have  gone  forth.  I  shall  count  your  success  as  a  part  of 
my  reward.    Nothing  could  give  me  more  pleasure  than  such 


218     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


kind  words  as  yours,  with  respect  to  the  help  I  have  been  per- 
mitted to  be  to  you.  The  whole  business  of  religion,  with  all  its 
necessary  parts  of  theology,  creeds,  etc.,  is  to  me  so  vital  a  thing 
that  I  cannot  bear  to  treat  it  in  a  merely  scholastic  way.  It  is 
a  reality,  or  it  is  nothing. 

Gettysburg,  January  10,  1883. 

Your  letter  gave  me  much  pleasure.  I  rejoice  with  you  in 
the  fruits  of  your  work.  It  makes  me  glad  to  hear  that  you  are 
really  feeling  the  reality  of  the  work,  .......  and  I  can  un- 
derstand the  sense  of  humbling  that  comes  with  the  answer  of 
your  labor.  There  is  a  humility  that  springs  out  of  success  as 
well  as  from  failure.  We  wonder  who  we  |are,  that  such  fruit 
should  come  from  our  tilling. 

As  to  difficulties,  I  am  afraid  that  the  trouble  is  not  one  to  be 
cured  by  more  light. 

Let  us  look  at  the  three  first  cases  you  mention.  The  one 
who  is  trying  to  make  himself  better — the  one  who  has  doubts 
about  inspiration — and  the  one  who  thinks  Christ  only  a  man. 
All  are  unconsciously  hiding  themselves  behind  false  defences. 
The  real  difficulty  is  not  what  they  aver,  but  an  indisposition  of 
the  will  to  obey  and  submit.  They  flatter  themselves,  probably, 
that  if  these  particular  objections  were  removed  they  would  be 
ready  to  be  Christians — but  that  is  a  delusion.  The  way  to 
deal  with  them  is  to  demolish  the  objections,  and  then  show 
them  that  with  the  objections  removed,  they  are  still  unwilling. 
Often  these  are  the  hardest  to  convince.  I  would  urge  on  them 
that  the  trouble  is  "they  will  not,"  and  point  out  to  them 
Christ's  way  of  clearing  up  doubts,  that  he  that  does  the  will  of 
God  shall  know  of  the  doctrine — that  obedience  is  the  way  to 
knowledge  in  religious  things,  and  not  knowledge  the  way  to 
obedience. 

As  to  the  fourth  question  about  the  heathen,  I  should  say, 
"What  is  that  to  thee?"  Every  such  case  must  be  decided  on 
its  own  merits.  If  the  woman  lived  up  to  her  light  she  is  ac- 
quitted ;  but  who  can  tell  what  light  she  had,  and  if  she  followed 
it  ?  None  but  the  omniscient  God.  Hence  the  absolute  need 
of  an  individual  judgment  by  the  omniscient  Son  of  God  who  is 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


219 


also  the  sympathetic  son  of  man.  It  comes  at  last  to  this : 
Should  not  the  judge  of  all  the  earth  do  right  ?  Yes  certainly  he 
will,  but  what  is  right  in  one  individual  case  depends  on  the  cir- 
cumstances of  the  case.  One  woman  may  be  doing  right  to 
give  her  child  to  death  according  to  her  light,  and  the  next  be 
doing  wrong  ;  but  who  shall  weigh  all  the  life  with  its  modi- 
fying circumstances  but  the  Omniscient,  All-loving?  In  any 
case  we  have  nothing  to  do  with  it,  and  the  question  if  seriously 
urged  evidences  a  deep  frivolity  and  spiritual  impudence.  The 
only  answer  ib  Christ's  to  Peter,  "What  is  that  to  thee?  follow 
thou  me."         *  *  *  *  * 

After  giving  his  young  friend  direction  how  to  act  in 
a  church  case  of  no  general  interest,  Dr.  Stork  proceeds: 

I  see  you  have  difficulties,  and  I  do  not  wonder  that  they 
annoy  you.  Often  we  fret  under  these  perplexing  affairs.  We 
want  to  finish  up  as  we  go,  to  leave  no  unravelled  skeins  behind 
us ;  but  a  part  of  our  trial  is  that  we  must  leave  much  unfinished, 
wrongs  unrighted,  errors  uncorrected,  deluded  souls  going 
deeper  into  the  dark.  It  is  one  of  the  terrible  burdens  of  life 
that  nothing  is  perfect ;  so  much  is  irremediable. 

My  refuge  has  been  to  take  it  all  to  God.  I  do  my  best,  and 
then  I  can  leave  it  to  Him.  I  am  willing  to  be  accounted  in- 
consistent, to  have  failed,  to  leave  knots  and  tangles  behind  me 
unsolved,  if  I  can  only  keep  close  to  my  Master  and  do  faith- 
fully my  best  to  get  things  straight  and  make  men  right.  How 
much  He  had  to  leave  behind ;  how  many  sighs  He  heaved  over 
the  stubborn,  the  stupid,  the  incorrigible,  whom  even  He  could 
not  reach.  We  must  leave  our  unfinished  or  marred  work  be- 
hind and  press  on — there  is  much  to  do — we  shall  not  get  through 
work  until  life  ends. 

EXTRACTS  FROM  OCCASIONAL  LETTERS. 
TO  DR.  HAY. 

Baltimore,  1883. 
I  am  glad  to  be  able  to  say  that  the  improvement  in  my  throat 
still  continues.    I  am  desirous  of  going  back  to  Gettysburg  .  , 


220     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


but  the  doctor  still  detains  me.  If  I  continue  to  improve  stead- 
ily through  April,  I  hope  to  be  at  home  in  May. 

Miss  Boggs  arrived  in  this  city  from  England  last  Wednesday. 
She  is  in  better  health  than  when  she  left  India,  though  still 
weak. 

•  *       •  *         *  ,        *         *  :       *  . 

I  wish  I  could  furnish  you  with  some  good  subjects  for  theses. 
I  will  venture  a  few  : 

The  three  stages  of  missionary  work :  1.  Breaking  the  ground. 
2.  The  cooperative  stage.  3.  The  stage  of  self-support  and  inde- 
pendence. 

The  relation  of  the  Renaissance  to  the  Reformation. 

Reformers  before  the  Reformation. 

The  modern  doctrine  of  Christian  perfection. 

Jewish  and  heathen  conceptions  of  a  future  state. 

Fenelon  as  a  devotional  writer. 

The  place  of  Origen  in  theolgy. 

The  duration  of  the  state  of  probation. 

The  relation  of  bishop,  presbyter,  and  deacon  in  the  primitive 
church. — This  is  treated  by  Hatch  in  his  Bampton  Lectures. 
Original  sin  as  a  mysterious  truth. 
The  theology  of  Chemnitz. 

The  place  of  the  Lutheran  Church  in  the  religious  life  of 
America. 

The  use  of  unfermented  wine  in  the  Eucharist. 

TO  DR.  HAY. 

Baltimore,  April  21,  1883. 
I  am  glad  to  say  that  I  am  greatly  improved,  and  growing  in 
strength  every  day.  I  can  talk  without  difficulty,  but  the  doctor 
does  not  weary  in  urging  upon  me  that  I  am  not  to  use  my  throat 
in  the  way  of  any  effort  this  spring  or  summer.  It  is  a  hard 
precept  when  one  feels  so  well,  but  I  am  preparing  myself  to 

obey  I  expect  to  be  in  Gettysburg  by  May  15th,  so 

that  I  can  superintend  matters  during  your  absence  (at  the  Gen- 
eral Synod), 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


221 


TO  HIS  MOTHER. 

Gettysburg,  May,  1883. 
Dear  Mother  :  I  have  settled  down  again  at  Gettysburg.  The 
doctor  thought  the  fresh,  pure  air  here  would  be  better  for  me 
than  the  close  atmosphere  of  the  city,  even  though  I  might  not 

have  so  much  of  his  treatment  My  throat  improves 

slowly,  but  very  slowly.  I  am  having  a  thorough  lesson  in  pa- 
tience. I  think  sometimes  I  have  had  enough,  but  the  Master 
says,  "No,  you  must  go  over  the  old  lesson  again."  I  have  been 
wondering  how  those  who  have  no  assured  trust  that  God  does 
all  well,  and  that  he  steers  the  ship,  can  keep  from  falling  into 
despair. 

You  will  be  gratified  to  see  that  all  the  missionary  enterprises 
of  the  Church  have  been  advancing  in  a  very  encouraging  way. 
The  income  of  the  Foreign  Board  for  the  last  two  years  ($50,000) 
is  greater  by  $15,000  than  in  any  preceding  two  years  of  our 
history.  I  do  think  there  is  an  awakening  of  the  Church  to  the 
call  of  God. 

The  season  though  late  is  wonderfully  beautiful  here.  I  never 
saw  Gettysburg  looking  so  lovely.  We  have  been  having  a  suc- 
cession of  the  most  charming  days,  when  everything  in  earth 
and  sky  seemed  perfect.  As  I  walked  through  the  fields  I  could 
only  praise  God  for  the  view  He  gave  of  His  wonderful  beauty 
— all  the  beauty  and  purity  seemed  a  reflection  of  His  own  ex- 
ceeding loveliness  and  perfection.  I  think  sometimes  we  do  not 
dwell  enough  on  the  beauty  and  sweetness  of  what  He  does  give 
us,  and  let  our  hearts  go  out  in  praise  and  delight  in  Him,  the 
infinitely  beautiful  and  good.  We  have  so  much  sorrow  and 
pain,  and  we  see  so  much  that  is  dark  and  sinful,  that  often  we 
let  the  shadow  of  these  miserable  things  come  over  what  does 
reveal  the  beauty  and  goodness  of  God's  works.  I  reproach  my- 
self often,  since  my  weakness  and  sickness  have  been  so  heavy 
on  me,  that  I  do  not  praise  God  more  for  the  sunshine  He  pours 
so  abundantly  on  me  in  it  all. 

I  wish  you  could  be  here  to  enjoy  the  season  with  us.  The 


222     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


roses  are  blooming  generously  this  morning,  and  all  the  fields 
are  spread  out  green  and  fresh  and  inviting. 

#         *  h      *         #         *         *         #         *  * 

TO  THE  BOARD  OF  DIRECTORS  OF  THE  THEOLOGICAL  SEMI- 
NARY OF  THE  GENERAL  SYNOD. 

Brethren :  It  is  proper  that  I  should  ask  the  attention  of  the 
Board  to  some  matters  respecting  my  official  relation  to  them. 

It  is  known  to  all  that  for  the  last  few  months  of  the  scholas- 
tic year  I  was  unable  from  illness  to  attend  to  my  duties  in  the 
Seminary.  These  duties  were  assumed  by  Professors  Hay  and 
Wolf,  imposing  on  them  much  additional  labor.  For  this  labor 
it  seems  just  that  they  should  be  compensated.  If  the  Board  is 
able  to  make  such  compensation  it  would  be  gratifying  to  them 
and  myself.  If  no  provision  can  be  made  otherwise,  I  shall 
deem  it  incumbent  on  myself  to  provide  such  compensation. 

It  is  also  due  to  the  Board  that  they  should  be  informed  of 
my  physical  inability  to  undertake  any  duties  involving  the  use 
of  my  throat  next  autumn  and  winter. 

My  physicians,  skillful  specialists  of  Baltimore  and  Phila- 
delphia, have  warned  me,  while  I  may  in  all  probability  recover 
the  use  of  my  voice  by  prolonged  rest,  that  any  use  of  my  throat 
next  autumn  and  winter  will  be  in  the  highest  degree  hazardous, 
and  have  absolutely  forbidden  it. 

It  is  absolutely  necessary,  therefore,  that  I  rest  for  the  greater 
part  of  the  next  year.  In  view  of  these  circumstances  I  have  to 
propose  to  the  Board  that  exemption  from  duty  be  granted  me 
for  so  much  of  the  next  year  as  may  be  necessary  to  my  restora- 
tion to  health.  Also  that  arrangements  be  made  with  the  rest 
of  the  faculty  or  others  to  take  my  work,  the  compensation  for 
that  work  to  be  provided  for  out  of  my  salary. 

This,  or  some  such  arrangement,  I  should  prefer.  But  I  am 
aware  that  it  may  not  be  the  course  most  conducive  to  the  wel- 
fare of  the  Institution.  If  it  should  seem  desirable  to  fill  the 
place  permanently  at  once,  I  would  therefore  cheerfully  tender 
my  resignation  as  Professor  of  Didactic  Theology,  feeling  it  to 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


223 


be  but  just  and  right  that  my  own  preference  should  not  stand 
for  a  moment  in  the  way  of  the  best  interests  of  the  Seminary. 

Chas.  A.  Stork, 
Prof,  of  Didactic  Theology  and  Homiletics. 
Gettysburg,  June  26,  1883. 

TO  DR.  HAY. 

Andover,  July  23,  1883. 
 I  have  had  a  painful  attack  of  sciatica  since  com- 
ing here  ;  it  is,  however,  yielding  to  treatment.    My  throat  is 

better  I  had  purposed  going  off  to  the  mountains  or 

the  sea  shore,  but  the  sciatica  has  kept  me  home.  I  shall  not 
leave  Andover  till  I  am  much  better.  The  doctor  tells  me  that 
all  these  attacks  of  neuralgia,  sciatica,  and  the  like,  are  due  to 
the  general  debility  of  my  system.  I  am  glad,  however,  that 
the  throat  seems  no  worse. 

Dr.  Park  (of  Andover  Seminary)  met  me  the  other  day,  and 
bewailed  the  sad  condition  of  orthodoxy  in  the  Seminary  here. 
He  thinks  Dorner  is  to  be  blamed  for  the  lapse  from  the  faith  of 
the  younger  Congregational  ministers.  He  asked  my  opinion 
of  Dorner,  and  also  that  I  would  give  him  reviews  of  Dorner  in 
the  German  theological  journals. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


LEAVES    GETTYSBURG — GERMAN  HOSPITAL — SURGICAL  OPERA- 
TION— SUFFERING — LETTERS. 

BUT,  to  the  profound  grief  of  all  his  friends,  the 
students  and  directors  of  the  Seminary  and  of  the 
Church,  he  was  compelled  to  abandon  his  work  altogether, 
and  after  most  acceptably  serving  the  Seminary  for  about 
two  years,  he  left  Gettysburg — never  to  return.  He  re- 
paired to  Baltimore,  where  he  passed  the  winter  under 
medical  treatment.  The  subsequent  summer  he  spent  in 
Andover,  Mass.,  and  went  to  Philadelphia  in  September, 
intending  to  sojourn  during  the  winter  at  Lakewood,  N.J. 
On  arriving  in  Philadelphia,  however,  dangerous  symp- 
toms developed  themselves,  and  his  physician  directed 
his  removal  to  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital,  where  a  sur- 
geon could  be  within  immediate  call  at  all  times.  He 
remained  there  but  a  few  weeks,  and  was  then  removed 
to  the  German  Hospital,  where  he  was  subjected  to 
the  severe  operation  of  tracheotomy,  by  which  his  larynx 
was  severed,  and  a  silver  tube  inserted,  to  enable  him  to 
breathe.  He  was  in  this  critical  and  painful  condition  for 
more  than  two  months,  with  varying  indications  of  im- 
provement and  relapse.  Although  his  body  gradually 
became  weaker,  his  mind  was  bright  and  active,  and  he 
occupied  himself  with  reading,  and  also  with  writing  to 
some  extent  within  a  few  days  of  his  death. 

(224) 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


225 


During  this  period  of  suffering  and  anxiety,  his  letters 
are  not  despondent,  although  full  of  the  tenderest  emo- 
tion. In  one  he  says,  "  I  feel  in  myself  a  greater  desire 
to  communicate  good — a  greater  richness  of  thought  and 
experience  to  communicate — and  then  to  lie  still,  to  be 
shut  up  in  silence,  is  a  hard  trial.  But  God  knows  best. 
When  I  feel  restive,  impatient,  weary,  despondent,  I  just 
fold  my  hands  and  say  over  those  words  of  Jesus,  4  Thy 
will  be  done,'  till  I  feel  how  blessed  that  will  is,  and  all 
the  waves  of  strife  in  me  go  down,  and  a  heavenly  peace 
comes  in.  I  was  reading  yesterday  the  words  of  Adolph 
Monod,  repeated  so  often  in  the  last  months  of  his  life, 
when  he  was  suffering  so  much,  'The  crucified  life  is  the 
blessed  life.'  " 

Again  he  writes,"  My  throat  improves  slowly,  but  very 
slowly.  I  am  having  a  thorough  lesson  in  patience.  I 
think  sometimes  I  have  had  enough,  but  the  Master  says, 
4  No,  you  must  go  over  the  old  lesson  again.'  *  *  *  *  I 
reproach  myself  often,  since  my  weakness  and  sickness 
have  been  so  heavy  upon  me,  that  I  do  not  praise  God 
more  for  the  sunshine  he  pours  so  abundantly  on  me  in 
it  all."* 

TO  DR.  HAY. 

Andover,  August  7,  1883. 

 As  to  myself,  I  am  not  getting  on  as  fast  as  I 

could  wish.  My  general  health  improves  slowly,  but  the  throat 
makes  little  progress.    It  is  a  discouraging  business,  but  I  try 

to  make  the  best  of  it. 

-*****#-x-** 

I  shall  probably  remain  here  until  the  cold  weather  sets  in ; 
*  Light  on  the  Pilgrim's  Way,  page  27. 


226     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


then  I  must  seek  a  warmer  climate,  but  where  to  go  I  am  in 
doubt.  On  the  whole,  California  seems  to  promise  the  best, 
but  I  dread  the  long  journey,  so  I  put  off  the  decision  until  the 
time  of  departure  comes. 

Andovek,  Aug.  25,  1883. 

My  Dear  Dr.  Hay  :  I  have  just  received  a  copy  of  a  Washing- 
ton paper  giving  an  account  of  the  Farewell  Missionary  Meet- 
ing. I  am  glad  to  see  you  were  able  to  be  there.  It  must  have 
been  a  very  interesting  occasion.  But  what  a  muss  the  reporters 
make  of  it  !  I  see  they  make  Unangst  say  there  are  250,000,000 
people  in  India,  about  three  times  as  many  as  there  really  are,  and 
that  they  (our  missionaries)  have  divided  these  into  120  congre- 
gations, that  is,  over  2,000,000  to  a  congregation  ;  thus  it  might 
be  seen  how  universal  was  their  field.  And  yet  we  go  on  be- 
lieving the  papers. 

The  weather  has  been  delightful,  and  I  think  I  have  been  im- 
proving somewhat.  My  general  health  is  good,  and  the  throat 
seems  less  inflamed  and  irritable. 

I  am  still  thinking  of  California,  though  I  dread  the  distance. 
I  have  got  over  all  my  desire  to  travel  ;  all  the  scenery  and  nov- 
elty of  new  lands  would  not  tempt  me  a  hundred  miles  from 
home.   But  health  makes  a  man  put  up  with  all  sorts  of  things. 

TO  DR.  HAY. 

Andover,  Sept.  4,  1883. 

 I  had  a  letter  from  Dr.  Radebaugh,  which  rather 

discouraged  me  from  going  to  California.  He  is  very  full  and 
careful  in  his  statement,  but  I  gathered  that,  on  the  whole,  the 
good  to  be  derived  was  very  doubtful  in  my  case.  Some  are 
benefited  and  some  are  not.  I  am  beginning  to  incline  towards 
Nassau,  in  the  West  Indies. 

*         -x-         V         *         #         #  *".'#•■] 
TO  DR.  HAY. 

Andovek,  Sept.  15,  1883. 

 I  am  not  so  well  as  I  was.    My  throat  has  given 

me  a  good  deal  of  trouble.  It  is  slow  business,  and  nothing  will 
help  but  patient  waiting. 


REV.  CHAKLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


227 


Lakewood,  Ocean  Co.,  N.  J.,  Sept.  29,  1883. 

Dear  Brother  Hay  :  I  am  sorry  I  cannot  be  at  Synod  ;  but  the 
doctor  (Cohen,  of  Philadelphia)  wants  me  steadily  under  his 
treatment.  Besides,  the  excitement  and  fatigue  of  Synod  would 
be  too  much  for  me. 

I  found  I  was  not  improving  in  Andover,  so  I  came  on  here 
last  Monday,  and  put  myself  under  Cohen's  treatment.  Cohen 
is  a  celebrated  throat  expert  of  Philadelphia  ;  he  promises  to 
get  me  all  right,  and  has  sent  me  to  this  place,  a  resort  for  throat 
and  lung  cases,  in  the  pine  woods  of  New  Jersey.  I  have  not 
much  hope  that  it  will  do  any  good  ;  but,  as  you  remarked  once, 
a  man  will  try  everything  and  anything  for  a  chance  of  health. 
I  have  not  much  pain,  and  I  am  pretty  strong,  but  I  suffer  from 
great  shortness  of  breath  and  a  wearying  cough. 
********* 

Do  not  think  I  am  melancholy.  I  think  I  have  learned,  or 
am  learning,  in  whatsoever  state  I  am  therewith  to  be  content. 
Of  course  pain  and  weakness  are  not  pleasant  companions,  and 
I  often  groan  under  them,  but  I  think  I  have  an  inward  peace 
that  bears  me  up.  As  God  takes  our  pleasant  things  away,  He 
gives  us  what  is  better,  His  peace.  One  thing  long  sickness  and 
weakness  does  for  us,  it  takes  us  down  into  the  valley  of  humil- 
ity, and  it  does  this  so  gently  that  we  are  not  mortified  or  cov- 
ered with  shame,  but  only  made  to  feel  what  we  truly  are,  our 
weakness  and  emptiness,  and  the  great,  blessed  fullness  and  rich- 
ness of  God. 

But  I  don't  know  why  I  am  preaching  to  you,  unless  it  is  that 
you  are  a  very  dear  and  intimate  friend,  and  I  speak  right  out 
to  you  what  is  uppermost  in  my  mind. 

Many  thanks  for  your  last  kind  and  genial  letter.  I  hope  all 
is  well  with  you  and  yours.  Remember  me  to  the  brethren. 
When  you  get  that  check  cashed  I  wish  you  would  ask  if  Mr.  I. 
A.  H.  Becker  is  in  town,  and  if  he  is  going  away.  He  is  in  the 
firm  of  Gitting  &  Co. 

Yours  fraternally,  C.  A.  Stork. 


228     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


TO  DR.  HAY. 
German  Hospital,  Phila.,  Oct.  6,  1883. 
......  I  am  something  better  (i.  e.  than  for  a  few  days 

past).  I  am  still  in  bed.  Dr.  Cohen  talks  of  operating  on  my 
throat — tracheotomy. 

LETTER  TO  A  FRIEND. 

Philadelphia,  October,  1883. 

My  Bear  :  Your  letter  was  a  very  pleasant  surprise. 

It  is  doubly  pleasant  in  the  dark  day  to  be  reminded  that  we  are 
loved,  and  that  we  have  done  something  for  others  that  still 
abides  as  a  blessing.  For.  indeed,  as  I  have  been  lying  here 
helpless,  suffering — absorbed  in  the  hottest  pain — it  has  seemed 
as  though  all  my  first  life  had  shriveled  up,  and  nothing  was 
left  of  it  but  a  blank  memory.  It  has  seemed  to  me  as  though 
I  had  done  so  little,  and  was  nothing.  Well,  the  last  is  true 
enough  ;  we  ever  feel  nothing  in  the  grasp  of  pain  and  long 
weakness. 

I  have  been  trying  all  through  to  seem  brave  and  cheerful, 
but  I  can  hardly  say  th  at  I  have  been  really  so.  ' '  No  affliction 
for  the  present  is  joyous,"  and  when  God  chastens  us,  there  is 
no  escaping  the  pain  ;  He  does  not  mean  that  we  should.  I  have 
been  greatly  tried  in  my  patience,  and  sometimes  the  waves  and 
billows  have  gone  over  my  soul,  and  seemed  to  doom  it.  But 

God  has  kept  me  Everybody  has  been  very  kind,  and 

I  am  humbled  to  receive  so  many  expressions  of  love.  Surely 
God  has  given  me  many  warm  friends. 

 I  do  rejoice  in  your  sympathy  and  kindness.    It  is 

something  to  know  that  God  has  permitted  me  to  be  of  real  ser- 
vice to  one  of  His  children. 

Yours  truly,  C.  A.  Stork. 

TO  DR.  HAY. 
German  Hospital,  Phila.,  October  18,  1883. 

 I  am  slowly  getting  better,  though  still  weak. 

The  great  relief  is  to  my  breathing.    I  was  slowly  suffocating. 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


229 


Now,  I  eat  well,  grow  stronger,  walk  about  a  little,  and  suffer 
only  from  sleeplessness  which  is  due  to  the  irritation  of  the 
wound.  My  many  friends  have  been  very  kind,  and  God  has  in- 
deed been  good  to  me.  I  rejoice  t'o  hear  of  the  prosperity  of  the 
Seminary. 

I  thought  I  could  stand  a  good  deal,  but  that  operation  was 
very  severe.  Twenty-five  minutes  under  the  knife  witli  no 
anaesthetic  tries  one's  nerves — and  then  the  coughing  and  eating 
with  that  wound  filled  with  a  silver  tube,  I  have  just  braced 
myself  for  a  week  to  endure.  But  the  worst  is  over.  Now  I  have 
little  pain.  *  *  *  *  *  * 

TO  DOCTOR  HAY. 

German  Hospital,  November  3,  1883. 

 I  am  still  in  the  hospital.    I  get  up  about  10 

a.  m.,  and  stay  up  till  bed-time.  I  walk  or  ride  out  a  little  and 
try  to  pass  away  the  time  as  best  I  can  ;  but  as  I  can  neither 
write  nor  study  much,  I  am  often  quite  weary,  especially  to- 
wards the  end  of  the  afternoon.  I  grow  tired,  and  the  whole 
system  becomes  irritated  ;  my  cough  increases  and  I  have  no 
rest  till  sleep  comes  late  in  the  night. 

The  Doctor  thinks  I  improve  slowly,  but  I  cannot  feel  any 
great  progress.  The  wound  has  healed  well,  but  the  old  cough 
is  very  irritating,  and  I  cannot  talk  above  a  whisper.    I  do  not 

see  where  the  end  will  be  I  rest  upon  God  day  by 

day,  and  He  gives  me  grace  to  go  through  each  day,  but  none  to 
spare. 

Dr.  Mann  called  on  me  yesterday  :  he  was  very  kind.  Also 
Dr.  Conrad,  who  gave  me  a  glowing  account  of  his  doings  in 
the  Luther  celebration,  and  of  his  visit  next  week  to  Chicago, 

also  of  what  he  is  writing  Whilst  he  sat  before  me 

gesticulating  and  full  of  excitement,  I  thought,  if  I  could  have 
a  little  of  that  superabundant  energy  !     1  *       *        #  * 

German  Hospital,  November  27,  1883. 
Dear  Doctor  Hay  :  I  am  rejoiced  to  hear  that  all  goes  ou  so 
well  on  the  hill.    A  new  spirit  for  missions  seems  to  be  kindled 
in  the  students.    I  hope  it  may  not  be  confined  to  the  few  who 
11 


230     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


think  of  going  to  foreign  lands,  but  that  the  leaven  may  leaven 
the  whole  lump. 

Is  it  not  a  little  singular  that,  while  we  feel  the  deepest  inter- 
est in  the  heathen  in  their  own  lands,  yet  when  they  come  here 
we  begin  to  be  suspicious  of  them  ?  Here  is  this  Armenian  ;* 
if  we  had  letters  of  him  or  from  him  in  his  own  land,  we  should 
feel  drawn  to  him  ;  but  now  he  is  here,  and  we  really  come  in 
contact  with  him,  we  are  shy  of  him.  The  fact  is,  the  vice  of 
deceit  and  dishonesty  is  so  deeply  ingrained  into  the  minds  of 
men  that  it  seems  almost  impossible  to  root  it  out,  and  so  when 
we  fairly  meet  one  of  these  men,  we  feel  we  must  be  on  our 
guard.  I  do  not  for  my  part  much  believe  in  these  converted 
heathens  coming  to  America  to  get  an  education.  Their  place 
is  at  home,  among  their  own  people,  doing  what  they  can  to 
make  Christ  known.  We  do  not  send  the  Gospel  to  Asia  to 
have  the  Asiatics  come  over  to  America  to  learn  our  ways  and 
get  half  Americanized,  and  so  unfitted  for  work  in  Asia.  The 
work  of  Christ  is  not  to  make  Hindoos  and  Turks  into  Ameri- 
cans, but  to  leaven  their  style  of  civilization  with  Christianity. 
So  I  am  shy  of  all  those-  converts  who  want  to  be  converted  not 
only  from  heathenism  but  also  from  their  nationality,  and  be- 
come a  sort  of  mongrel  Americo-Oriental.  Let  every  man  abide 
in  his  lot  where  God  hath  called  him.  I  am  afraid  I  shall  have 
less  patience  with  the  Armenian,  than  you. 

I  have  seen  of  the  celebration  at  Hartwick  in  the  papers.  It 
must  have  been  a  very  stirring  occasion.  What  a  great  waking 
among  the  churches  this  Luther  year  has  occasioned.  I  ha,ve 
not  been  able  to  take  part  in  any  of  these  great  celebrations, 
but  I  have  looked  on  with  the  deepest  interest. 

My  health  does  not  improve  much.  I  am  still  weak,  and  the 
throat  is  very  sore  and  feeble.  I  think  my  Doctor  gets  dis- 
couraged at  times  ;  but  we  hope  for  the  best .  I  suffer  no  great 
pain  ;  but  weakness  is  often  worse  than  pain,  and  my  irritation 
from  the  throat  is  very  exhausting.  I  am  learning  some  new 
and  deep  lessons  in  this  school  of  suffering. 

Yours  truly,  C.  A.  Stork. 

*  An  Armenian  had  come  to  Gettysburg  Seminary  to  study  theology, 
hut  I  helieve  he  intended  to  return  to  his  own  country.— J.  G.  M. 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


231 


German  Hospital,  December,  1883. 

My  Dear  Brother  H.:  It  was  a  good  long  letter  you  sent  me, 
and  I  am  really  ashamed  to  send  such  a  scrap  in  return.  Your 
picture  of  me  as  being  overrun  with  letters  of  condolence  and 
sympathy  was  a  little  overdrawn.  I  have  a  great  many  friends 
and  many  expressions  of  their  regret  and  remembrance,  but 
they  have  not  overburdened  me  with  letters. 

Yours  was  a  very  cheering  and  pleasant  letter.  It  did  me 
good.  As  for  my  health,  it  does  not  improve  as  I  had  hoped. 
I  drag  out  weary  days  and  long  though  not  uncomfortable 
nights.  What  a  trying  thing  it  is  to  look  day  after  day  for 
health,  and  not  see  it  come  any  nearer  !  But  I  try  to  bear  up 
patiently.  My  great  trouble  is  shortness  of  breath  arising  from 
weakness.  And  for  weakness  you  know  it  is  hard  to  find  a 
remedy. 

Of  the  great  Luther  meeting  in  Baltimore  I  read  several  ac- 
counts in  newspapers  and  letters.  You  surely  had  a  grand  fes- 
tival. It  has  been  a  great  Luther  year,  only  I  fear  the  people 
will  get  surfeited  with  him  and  wish  to  hear  no  more  of  him. 

I  spend  my  time  reading,  and  writing  a  little,  though  of  this 
last  the  Doctor  will  not  allow  much.  I  do  not  study,  I  am  too 
weak  for  that,  but  I  read  all  the  light  and  easy  matter  I  can  get. 
Still  even  of  reading  I  do  very  little.  I  sleep  a  good  deal,  but 
my  rest  is  much  broken  and  I  have  to  take  two  hours  to  get  one 
hour  of  solid  rest.  But  I  think  when  you  are  sick  you  do  not 
care  for  occupation.  I  know  1  sit  and  half  dream,  half  think, 
for  hours.  I  seem  so  unlike  my  old  self — then  I  was  always 
working  at  something,  now  I  only  want  to  be  quiet  and  let  my 
mind  wander  over  the  thoughts  of  all  God  has  done  for  me  and  is 
doing  in  His  kingdom.  Sometimes  he  sends  me  very  precious 
and  delightful  thoughts.  Like  David,  I  commune  with  Him  in 
my  thoughts  in  the  night-watches.  My  bed  is  now  my  closet, 
my  Mount  Tabor  where  I  pray  and  renew  my  strength. 

Mrs.  Stork  keeps  well  and  strong.  She  is  a  great  cheer  and 
comfort  to  me,  as  well  as  a  most  tender  and  efficient  nurse.  I 
have  my  friends  here  in  Philadelphia  who  are  kind  and  atten- 
tive.  They  call  on  me  and  give  me  the  news  and  cheer  me  up. 

The  children  are  under  good  care,  and  are  well  and  happy. 


232     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


So  you  see  I  have  nothing  to  worry  me,  nothing  outside  of  this 
miserable  broken  body.  I  only  wish  I  could  forget  it,  be  more 
strong  to  disregard  it ;  but  there,  I  cannot,  it  will  drag  me  down. 

Yours  truly,  0.  A.  Stork. 

LETTER  FROM  A  FRIEND. 

I  happened  to  be  in  Philadelphia  only  a  few  days  after  the 
operation  had  been  performed  upon  his  windpipe.  I  went  to 
the  German  Hospital  and  asked  permission  to  see  him.  The 
attendant  physicians  below  told  me  how  remarkably  well  the 
Doctor  endured  the  operation,  refusing  an  anaesthetic,  and  yet 
never  wincing  under  the  operation.  They  said  he  showed  more 
will-power  than  any  patient  that  ever  came  under  their  treat- 
ment. Shortly  after  this  I  was  taken  up  stairs  and  admitted  to 
the  sick  man's  chamber.  I  found  him  sitting  on  a  large  arm- 
chair by  an  open  window.  He  greeted  me  with  a  pleasant 
smile,  and  a  cordial  shake  by  the  hand.  After  an  interchange 
of  a  few  words,  I  remarked  that  I  was  surprised  to  learn  how 
wonderfully  well  he  endured  the  severe  operation.  He  looked 
at  me  thoughtfully  and  seriously,  and  then  lifting  up  his  right 
arm,  and  with  a  serene  smile  on  his  face,  his  eyes  beaming  with 
love,  he  pointed  with  his  forefinger  heavenward  ;  thus  indicating 
the  source  of  his  strength  and  endurance.  If  I  were  an  artist,  I 
should  aim  to  paint  that  scene  ;  it  is  a  precious  and  abiding  pic- 
ture on  my  mind  and  heart. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


DEATH — FUNERAL  SERVICES —ADDRESSES — DR.  HAY,  DR.  BUT- 
LER,  DR.  CONRAD — VARIOUS  RELIGIOUS  PAPERS — EULOGIES — 
COMMEMORATIVE  RESOLUTIONS  —  SEMINARY  —  THEOLOGICAL 
FACULTY— CHURCH  BOARDS — DR.  MARK  HOPKINS — DR.  MAGEE 
— PRESIDENT  GARFIELD — DR.  VALENTINE — DR.  WOLF— DR. 
BARCLAY — HIS  FUGITIVE  WRITINGS — TRIBUTES  FROM  STU- 
DENTS. 

REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D.,  died  on  Mon- 
day morning,  December  17, 1883.  For  a  good  por- 
tion of  the  following  account  of  the  funeral  services,  I  am 
indebted  to  the  Lutheran  Observer. 

THE  OBSEQUIES  OF  DOCTOR  STORK. 

The  funeral  services  of  the  late  Dr.  Charles  A.  Stork, 
of  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Gettysburg,  took  place 
on  Thursday  afternoon,  December  20,  1883,  at  St.  Mat- 
thew's church,  Broad  and  Mt.  Vernon  streets,  Rev.  Dr. 
W.  M.  Baum,  pastor,  who  conducted  the  services  of  the 
sad  occasion.  Rev.  Dr.  J.  G.  Morris,  of  Baltimore,  read 
the  Scripture  lessons ;  Rev.  Charles  S.  Albert,  of  Balti- 
more, offered  prayer,  and  Charles  Wesley's  hymn — 
"Jesus,  lover  of  my  soul" — was  sung  by  the  congregation. 

Dr.  Baum  then  made  in  substance  the  following  re- 
marks : 

The  services  of  this  sad  occasion  have  been  arranged  with  as 
little  show  or  ostentation  as  possible.  Studied  eulogy,  however 
deserved,  will  not  be  attempted.    His  life  was  the  best  eulogy 

(233  ) 


234     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


possible.  As  he  lived  so  he  died,  rendering  loving  service  to  his 
Lord  and  Master,  working  with  his  vigorous  pen,  when  his 
feeble  voice  could  no  longer  be  heard.  It  is  a  circumstance  that 
deserves  mention  that  in  this  particular  his  end  was  similar  to 
that  of  his  father — their  last  articles  appearing  after  death. 
His  father's  was  on  St.  Paul's  declaration :  "I  am  now  ready  to 
be  offered,  and  the  time  of  my  departure  is  at  hand" — and  how 
soon  he  departed  !  The  last  article  of  the  son  was  "The  Secret 
of  Christmas,"  To  come  near  and  see  Jesus.  How  perfectly  now 
he  understands  that  secret !  Fable  tells  us  that  the  dying  notes 
of  the  swan  are  the  sweetest :  faith  more  truly  thus  works  its 
grand  consummation.  How  he  served  the  Lord  Jesus  by  serv- 
ing the  church,  as  pastor,  as  teacher,  as  theological  professor,  as 
member  of  Church  Boards  of  Education  and  Missions,  others  will 
attest.  He  was  ever  diligently  occupied  and  rendered  useful 
service.  Into  his  short  life  how  much  was  crowded — not  years 
but  deeds  are  the  true  measure  of  life.  Among  the  truths  illus- 
trated by  his  life  are  the  value  and  beauty  of  personal  godliness. 
There  is  a  divine  and  a  human  aspect  to  our  religious  life.  It  is 
not  always  harmoniously  developed,  but  here  it  was  :  grace, 
education  and  self- culture  developed  a  lovely  character — firm, 
yet  not  severe  ;  loving,  yet  not  weak ;  tender  in  all  relations, 
yet  justifying  no  wrong  ;  fulfilling  all  the  obligations  of  human 
life.  There  was  no  seeking,  scheming,  planning,  in  seeking  a 
field  for  work.  He  was  content  with  what  was,  and  accepted 
God's  ordering.  With  capacity  for  the  highest,  he  despised  not 
the  lowest.  In  that  lay  the  secret  of  his  contentment  and  use- 
fulness. 

Rev.  Dr.  C.  A.  Hay,  senior  member  of  the  Theological 
Faculty  at  Gettysburg,  then  uttered  the  following  touch- 
ing words : 

Alas  for  thee,  my  brother  !  No  ;  not  for  thee,  but  for  us  who 
have  lost  thee  !  Thy  troubles  are  over — ours  is  the  sorrow  now. 
And  it  is  no  common  sorrow. 

My  dear  friends,  we  it  is  who  need  consolation  in  this  hour  of 
sad  bereavement.    We  keenly  feel  our  loss  ;  but  we  know  that 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


235 


we  shall  feel  it  all  the  more  when  we  come  to  realize  it  better, 
as  we  go  to  our  homes  and  resume  our  daily  duties  and  miss 
that  genial  face  and  gentle  voice,  and  patient,  quiet  spirit,  that 
had  won  its  way  to  our  hearts. 

We  stand  perplexed  and  confounded  in  the  presence  of  such  a 
dispensation  of  Providence.  The  early  removal  of  one  so  highly 
gifted  and  so  admirably  fitted  for  the  discharge  of  the  responsi- 
ble duties  to  which  the  Church  had  summoned  him,  startles  us 
and  tries  our  faith.  We  need  to  pray  for  a  spirit  of  submission, 
and  for  an  unwavering  confidence  in  the  wisdom  and  kindness 
of  all  our  Heavenly  Father's  ways.  His  ways  are  not  as  ours, 
nor  His  thoughts  as  ours. 

O  what  the  pulpit  of  our  church  has  lost  in  the  death  of  this 
dear  brother  !  How  fresh,  how  stimulating  and  suggestive 
were  his  expositions  of  divine  truth  ?  How  eagerly  his  hearers 
hung  upon  his  earnest  and  impressive  appeals  !  We  do  not 
wonder  that  under  such  ministrations  his  church  steadily  and 
rapidly  advanced  in  all  that  constitutes  true  growth  in  action, 
intelligent  and  efficient  piety. 

His  brief  career  in  the  Theological  Seminary  proved  him  none 
the  less  fitted  for  the  professor's  chair  than  for  the  pulpit. 
Entering  with  enthusiasm  upon  his  work  in  that  sphere,  with  a 
profound  estimate  of  its  great  responsibility  and  grand  oppor- 
tunities, he  devoted  himself  to  it  with  characteristic  zeal  and 
energy,  quickly  imparting  to  his  pupils  a  measure  of  the  same 
ardor  and  keen  relish  for  its  sublime  themes,  and  urging  them 
on  to  independent  research  in  that  field.  Men  love  to  follow 
such  a  leader.  They  catch  his  spirit  and  are  borne  forward  un- 
der its  influence.  No  wonder  that  all  connected  with  our  insti- 
tution bitterly  bewail  his  loss. 

And  the  affectionate  family  circle  !  Nearer  still  to  you,  dear 
friends,  comes  this  sad  and  sudden  blow.  Hoping  to  the  last 
that  the  insidious  disease,  that  had  so  long  interfered  with  his 
pulpit  and  class-room  duties,  would  yield  to  skillful  treatment, 
and  that  his  weakened  constitution  could  be  restored  to  its 
wonted  vigor,  you  have  after  all  been  called  upon  to  bid  him 
farewell  for  a  season.    Dear  friends,  it  is  only  for  a  little  while. 


236     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


That  voice  is  not  silenced  forever.    Those  rigid  features  will  yet 
again  be  wreathed  in  smiles,  the  smiles  of  heavenly  recognition, 
"Be  not  afraid,  only  believe." 
Farewell,  my  brother,  till  we  meet  again  ! 

Toplady's  hymn — "  Rock  of  Ages,  cleft  forme" — was 
sung,  after  which  Rev.  Dr.  J.  G.  Butler,  of  Washington, 
who  was  associated  with  Dr.  Stork  in  the  Board  of  For- 
eign Missions  for  a  number  of  years,  bore  his  testimony 
to  the  high  character  and  unselfish  devotion  which  he 
had  always  manifested  in  the  work  of  his  Master.  Among 
other  things,  he  said: 

I  shall  probably  never  forget  that  sweet,  guileless,  peaceful 
smile  that  lighted  up  this  face  now  quiet  in  death,  when  a  few 
weeks  since,  after  a  word  of  prayer  at  the  bedside  of  our  dear 
brother,  I  said  good-bye.  The  legend  says  that  when  our  Lord 
was  bearing  his  own  cross  to  Calvary,  a  Jewish  maiden,  touched 
with  sympathy,  wiped  the  sweat  from  his  brow  with  a  napkin, 
and  that  he  left  the  impress  of  his  face  upon  that  napkin.  This 
service  to-day  marks  the  earthly  end  of  one  of  our  Lord's  bur- 
den-bearers, upon  whom  Christ  has  left  His  image. 

"Burdens  when  they  weigh  severely, 
Stamp  the  Saviour's  image  clearly 
On  the  heart  of  all  His  friends." 

The  smile  that  beautified  this  face  was  the  product  of  years 
of  labor  and  suffering  for  Christ.  From  a  child  he  had  loved 
the  Saviour,  and  that  which  beautified  his  character  was  Christ 
in  him,  the  hope  of  glory.  The  pen  of  inspiration  writes,  Moses, 
the  servant  of  the  Lord,  and  Paul,  the  servant  of  Jesus  Christ. 
To-clay  we  write,  Charles,  the  servant  of  God,  as  expressing  the 
fullness  of  our  dear  brother's  character  and  life.  His  lips  and 
his  heart,  now  silent,  would  rebuke  eulogy  to-day.  He  would 
write  himself  a  sinner  saved  by  grace.  And  yet,  associated  with 
him  as  I  have  been,  intimately,  during  all  his  ministry,  loving 
him  as  few  men  can  be  loved,  for  his  unselfish  goodness,  whilst 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


237 


my  heart  is  stunned  by  this  providence,  I  am  glad  to  mingle  in 
this  love-service.  He  rests,  whilst  we  are  yet  among  the  burden- 
bearers,  with  the  responsibilities  of  Christian  ministries  upon 
us.  This  well-rounded  life,  though  it  add  another  broken  col- 
umn, is  full  of  inspiration  to  those  who  remain.  How  mysterious 
the  providence  !  "I  was  dumb  ;  I  opened  not  my  mouth  ;  be- 
cause Thou  didst  it."  Brethren,  God  reigns.  Clouds  and  dark- 
ness are  around  about  Him.  Justice  and  judgment  are  the 
habitation  of  His  throne.  Even  so,  Father,  for  so  it  seemed  good 
in  thy  sight. 

Called  by  the  church  to  the  high  position  of  training  young 
men  for  the  ministry,  because  of  his  preeminent  fitness,  upon 
whom  shall  his  mantle  fall  ?  It  was  not  simply  knowledge  and 
intellectual  culture  that  qualified  him  to  mould  the  future  teach- 
ers and  pastors  of  the  church.  These  are  important,  but  it  is 
the  man  behind  the  teacher  and  preacher  that  gives  power  to  his 
life.  This  man  of  God,  imbued  with  the  humanity  and  meek- 
ness and  gentleness  and  self-sacrifice  of  the  Gospel,  gave  inspi- 
ration to  every  man  who  sat  at  his  feet.  The  need  of  the  pulpit 
to-day  and  every  day  is  men  fully  imbued  with  the  Spirit  of 
Christ,  and  wholly  consecrated  to  the  work  of  saving  men.  For 
that  he  lived. 

Though  full  of  sorrow  to-day,  we  will  not  say,  Alas !  my 
brother  !  Shall  we  not  rather  say,  See  how  the  Saviour  saved 
him  !  Behold  what  the  Saviour  made  him  !  How  boundless 
the  possibilities  now  that  Jesus  has  taken  him  to  Himself !  The 
savor  of  this  young  life  yet  gives  inspiration.  How  the  people 
love  him — the  people  whom  he  served  so  faithfully  for  years  ! 
And  the  young  men  who  sat  at  his  feet,  and  all  of  us  who  went 
about  with  him,  lo !  these  many  years,  as  together  we  labored 
in  the  great  harvest  !  With  us  he  yet  remains.  He  still  lives 
among  us,  though  now  he  sits,  as  he  has  ever  sat,  but  now 
nearer  the  Saviour's  feet,  an  apt  learner  in  the  school  of  the 
Great  Teacher,  Himself  the  Truth.  On  this  earth-side  we  com- 
mingle our  tenderest  sympathy  with  this  deeply-stricken  house- 
hold. But  we  will  not  forget  that  death  has  given  release  from 
a  suffering  body,  and  introduced  the  ransomed  spirit  into  the 
11* 


238     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


fullness  of  the  joy  of  our  Lord.  Here  we  know  in  part ;  there 
we  shall  know  even  as  also  we  are  known.  In  every  relation  of 
life,  domestic,  social,  ecclesiastical,  we  shall  miss  him  ;  but 
where  the  faded  flower  shall  freshen,  where  God  wipes  all  tears 
and  where  they  die  no  more,  we  shall  be  with  him  soon.  Fare- 
well, my  brother  ! 

Dr.  F.  W.  Conrad  next  presented  a  sketch  of  the  life 
and  character  of  the  departed.  The  benediction  was  pro- 
nounced by  Rev.  Henry  Baker,  of  Altoona,  and  the  con- 
gregation and  friends  present  were  invited  to  take  a 
last  look  at  the  face  of  the  departed,  whose  remains 
were  placed  in  a  casket  before  the  pulpit.  All  availed 
themselves  of  this  sad  opportunity.  His  remains  were 
taken  to  Andover,  Mass.,  for  interment  with  the  kindred 
of  his  wife. 

Among  the  clergymen  present  at  the  funeral,  besides 
those  already  mentioned,  were  Rev.  Dr.  M.  W.  Hamma, 
and  Revs.  George  Scholl  and  J.  A.  Clutz,  of  Baltimore  ; 
Rev.  Dr.  L.  E.  Albert,  of  Germantown ;  Rev.  W.  H. 
Steck,  of  Ardmore ;  Rev.  M.  Sheeleigh,  of  Whitemarsh  ; 
Rev.  J.  H.  Harpster,  of  Trenton,  N.  J. ;  President  Julius 
D.  Dreher,  of  Roanoke  College,  Virginia ;  and  Revs.  S.  A. 
Holman,  E.  Huber,  J.  H.  Menges,  J.  K.  Plitt,  S.  Laird, 
S.  A.  K.  Francis,  and  Dr.  Henry  E.  Jacobs,  of  Philadel- 
phia. Besides  the  clergymen  from  Baltimore  already 
mentioned,  there  were  also  present  some  twenty  lay  mem- 
bers of  St.  Mark's  church  of  that  city,  which  he  served 
as  pastor  for  so  many  years. 

''The  memory  of  the  just  is  blessed." 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


239 


TESTIMONIAL  OF  THE  THEOLOGICAL  FACULTY. 
DEATH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  STORK. 

The  news  of  this  sad  event  reached  Gettysburg  at  an 
early  hour  on  the  18th  inst.  The  exercises  of  the  Theo- 
logical Seminary  were  at  once  suspended,  and  the  Faculty 
convened  and  took  the  following  action : 

Whereas,  Our  Heavenly  Father  has  been  pleased  to  end  the 
protracted  sufferings  of  our  dear  brother  and  colleague,  Rev. 
Charles  A.  Stork,  D.  D.,  by  a  peaceful  death  ;  therefore 

Resolved,  That  it  becomes  us,  who  were  so  intimately  associ- 
ated with  him  in  official  and  social  intercourse,  devoutly  to 
acknowledge  our  gratitude  to  G-od  for  the  privilege  we  have 
enjoyed  in  communion  with  one  so  learned,  genial  and  loving, 
and  to  put  upon  record  our  deep  sense  of  the  loss  we  have  sus- 
tained by  his  death. 

Resolved,  That  we  sincerely  deplore  the  loss  inflicted,  by  his 
death,  upon  our  institution,  which  had  learned  to  prize  the  labors 
of  one  with  a  mind  so  cultivated  and  a  heart  so  pure,  with  such 
a  peculiar  aptness  to  teach  and  power  to  arouse  in  others  an 
ardor  and  enthusiasm  in  the  pursuit  of  knowledge,  and  to  win 
their  confidence  and  affection. 

Resolved,  That  we  sincerely  share  in  the  profound  sorrow  that 
will  be  felt  throughout  the  Church  in  being  deprived  of  the 
labors  of  one  so  well  qualified  to  serve  all  her  interests  in  the 
pulpit,  in  the  professor's  chair,  and  in  the  religious  presfc. 

Resolved,  That  we  express  our  hearty  condolence  with  his  be- 
reaved family  in  the  desolation  which  this  mysterious  dispensa- 
tion of  Providence  has  brought  upon  them,  and  with  earnest 
prayer  we  commend  them  to  the  grace  of  Him  who  is  the  Father 
of  the  fatherless  and  the  Husband  of  the  widow. 

The  Faculty  and  students  assembled  in  the  Missionary 
Hall  at  11  o'clock,  and  appropriate  religious  services 
were  held.    By  a  rising  vote,  the  above  resolutions  were 


240     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


silently  and  solemnly  endorsed  by  all  present,  amid  deep 
feeling. 

Ever  sinc£  the  disease  under  which  our  dear  brother 
was  laboring  assumed  a  seriously  threatening  form,  the 
most  lively  sympathy  was  felt  and  manifested  for  him 
by  all  the  inmates  of  the  Seminary.  He  had  greatly 
endeared  himself  to  the  hearts  of  all ;  and  the  knowledge 
of  his  severe  and  protracted  sufferings  cast  a  shade  of 
sadness  over  our  daily  life.  We  recently  learned  that 
he  was  longing  to  be  released,  and  our  grief  at  the  news 
of  his  decease  is  assuaged  by  the  assurance  that  he  has 
passed  from  a  scene  of  sorrow  and  pain  to  a  blissful 
home  of  unmingled  and  endless  joy.  H. 

Gettysburg,  December  18,  1883. 

TESTIMONIAL  FROM  ST.  MARK'S. 

The  council  of  St.  Mark's  English  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church,  of  Baltimore,  has  learned  with  deep  sorrow  of 
the  death  of  Rev.  Charles  A.  Stork,  D.  D.,  and  desiring 
to  record  its  appreciation  of  our  late  pastor,  adopts  the 
following : 

Resolved,  That  we  are  mindful  of  his  work  and  labor  of  love 
for  us,  as  individuals  and  as  a  congregation,  and  that  we  recog- 
nize evidence  of  his  profound  Christian  teachings  in  the  godly 
lives  of  many  who,  through  him,  were  brought  to  know  the  love 
of  God  in  Christ. 

Resolved,  That,  in  remembrance  of  his  long  and  faithful  service 
among  us  as  pastor,  we  do  set  apart  Sunday,  December  30th,  as 
a  day  for  special  memorial  services. 

Resolved,  That  we  express  our  deep  sympathy  with  his  family, 
and  ask  for  them  the  benediction  "  of  God,  even  our  Father, 
which  has  loved  us  and  given  us  everlasting  consolation  and 
good  hope  through  grace." 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


241 


EULOGIES  ON  DR.  STORK. 

The  Workman  of  January  3,  1885,  says: 

The  year  of  1883  began  darkly  with  the  death  of  Rev.  Dr. 
Krauth,  of  the  Philadelphia  Seminary,  and  it  was  closed  with 
the  death  of  Rev.  Stork,  of  the  Seminary  in  Gettysburg.  The 
son  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Theophilus  Stork  became  the  successor  of 
his  father  as  pastor  of  St.  Mark's  church,  Baltimore,  and  for 
sixteen  years  gave  to  it  the  rich  fruitage  of  his  studies,  travels, 
and  various  attainments.  Called  in  1881  to  fill  the  vacant  pro- 
fessorship of  Didactic  Theology  in  the  Gettysburg  Seminary,  he 
entered  upon  a  new  life  of  study  and  toil,  and  labored  assidu- 
ously with  the  happiest  results.  But  the  embarrassment  and 
depression  of  a  most  distressing  affection  of  the  throat  was  upon 
him,  and  his  labors  and  services  were  sadly  interrupted  by  this 
insidious  disease.  At  last,  on  December  17th  after  a  surgical 
operation,  his  strength  constantly  growing  weaker,  he  calmly 
fell  asleep  in  Christ  and  in  peace. 
*#'#'#*  •**'*■* 

Dr.  Stork,  like  many  other  thoughtful  men  in  this  transition 
period,  was  drawing  nearer  and  nearer  to  its  faith,  and  coming 
more  and  more  into  loving  sympathy  with  its  inner  life.  In  this 
respect,  also,  the  loss  of  one  so  sincere  and  devout  is  all  the 
greater  to  the  Seminary  and  the  ingenuous  youth  who  gather 
in  its  halls.  But  the  truth  lives,  though  its  confessors  and 
teachers  pass  away. 

Dr.  Mark  Hopkins,  President  of  Williams  College, 
thus  speaks  of  Dr.  Stork  in  a  letter  to  the  editor  of  the 
Lutheran  Observer : 

My  remembrance  of  Dr.  Stork  as  a  student  is  distinct.  He 
was  a  student  of  books,  industrious  and  faithful,  but  not  merely 
that — he  was  naturally,  and  from  the  first,  an  original  investi- 
gator. He  did  not  reject  authority,  but  made  the  conclusions  of 
others  his  own  only  as  he  saw  their  ground.  This  placed  him  in 
the  first  rank  among  students  in  my  studies,  and  I  was  not  sur- 


242    THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


prised  at  the  eminence  he  attained  and  was  attaining.  His  char- 
acter, while  at  college,  was  unexceptionable. 

The  editor  then  continues  :  "  The  exhibit  of  character 
given  by  Dr.  Hopkins  of  Garfield  and  Stork  as  students, 
proves  that  the  diligence,  perseverance  and  fidelity  of  the 
student  determine  the  activity,  success  and  usefulness  of 
the  man.  The  following  incidents  show  the  intimacy, 
devotion  and  Christian  character,  which  distinguished  Gar- 
field and  Stork  as  college-mates,  friends  and  brothers  be- 
loved in  the  Lord. 

"  Dr.  Irving  Magee,  a  college-mate  of  Dr.  Stork,  told 
our  readers  at  the  time  of  his  death,  that  Garfield  was  in 
the  habit  of  sitting  for  hours  at  the  side  of  Stork,  with 
his  arms  about  his  neck.  After  General  Garfield  became 
a  member  of  Congress,  Dr.  Stork  paid  him  his  first  visit, 
which  he  described,  at  an  interview  with  Dr.  Magee  at 
the  house  of  a  friend  in  Baltimore,  as  follows : 

"  By  the  way,  Magee,  you  remember  '  Gar.'  I  was  in  Wash- 
ington the  other  day,  and  determined  to  go  up  to  the  Capitol  to 
see  him.  I  sent  my  card  in  to  him  by  a  page,  and  in  a  moment 
he  came  out,  picked  me  right  up  in  his  arms  and  embraced  me, 
he  was  so  glad  to  see  me. 

"Towards  the  close  of  General  Garfield's  career  in 
the  House  of  Representatives,  to  whose  leadership  he  had 
risen,  Dr.  Stork  visited  him  at  his  house,  where  they 
spent  the  evening  together  in  conversation  on  old  scenes 
and  friends.  As  it  had  been  their  habit  to  pray  with 
each  other,  at  the  close  of  each  day  in  their  rooms,  Gar- 
field proposed  to  Stork  that,  before  separating,  they  should 
unite  in  prayer  as  they  were  wont  to  do  in  their  college 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


243 


days  at  Williams,  whereupon  they  knelt  down  and  prayed 
with  one  accord  to  that  God  to  whose  service  they  had 
devoted  their  lives  in  the  days  of  their  youth,  and  in- 
voked His  guidance  and  blessing  upon  the  work  in  which 
each  was  engaged.  And  while  General  Garfield  was  in- 
augurated President  of  the  United  States  on  the  4th  of 
March,  1881,  Dr.  Stork  was  inaugurated  as  Professor  of 
Theology  and  Chairman  of  the  Faculty  in  the  Theological 
Seminary  at  Gettysburg,  in  September  of  the  same  year. 

"On  Easter  Monday,  1881,  we  called  at  the  White 
House,  and  were  presented  by  Dr.  Butler  to  the  Presi- 
dent. In  passing  through  Baltimore,  Dr.  Stork  requested 
us  to  present  his  congratulations,  and  to  say  that  as  soon 
as  the  press  was  over,  he  would  pay  him  a  visit.  The 
President  in  reply  said  that  he  recollected  Dr.  Stork  very 
well,  and  that  he  would  be  happy  to  see  him  at  any  time, 
and  requested  us  to  present  his  acknowledgments.  But 
before  this  contemplated  visit  was  paid,  the  President  was 
shot,  and  they  never  met  again  since  they  prayed  to- 
gether at  the  interview  described  above.  They  parted 
on  earth  at  the  throne  of  grace,  and  they  have  doubtless 
met  each  other  again  in  heaven,  according  to  the  Word 
of  God,  around  the  throne  of  glory." 

COPY  OF  RESOLUTIONS  ON  THE  DEATH  OF  DR.  STORK,  FROM 
REPORT  OF  BOARD  OF  FOREIGN  MISSIONS  TO  GENERAL 
SYNOD. 

1.  Resolved,  That  in  the  death  of  our  sainted  brother,  Rev. 
Dr.  Charles  A.  Stork,  our  Board  has  lost  a  zealous  member,  a 
wise  counsellor,  and  a  most  efficient  presiding  officer  ;  the  foreign 
mission  cause  has  lost  one  of  its  warmest  friends  and  most  able 


244    THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 

pounders  and  advocates  ;  and  the  Church  has  lost  one  of  her  most 
gifted  and  cultured  ministers,  a  scholar  at  once  profound  and 
clear,  a  theologian  who  was  at  once  liberal  and  yet  loyal  to  the 
standards  of  the  Church,  a  teacher  who  could  not  only  impart 
instruction  to  his  pupils,  but  also  iD spire  them  with  the  love  of 
the  truth,  and  a  preacher  of  rare  spiritual  insight  and  power, 
and  who  was  able,  beyond  most  men,  to  rightly  divide  the  word 
of  truth. 

2.  Resolved,  That  we  bow  in  humble  and  trustful  submission 
to  the  divine  will,  as  revealed  in  this  sore  bereavement,  know- 
ing that  God's  ways  are  always  wise  and  good,  and  assured  that 
our  loss  is  oar  brother's  gain. 

3.  Resolved,  That  we  will  ever  cherish  the  memory  of  our  de- 
parted brother's  virtues  and  graces  as  a  most  precious  legacy 
and  will* seek  to  emulate  his  noble  disposition,  his  deep  and  earn- 
est piety,  his  broad  catholicity  of  spirit,  his  generous  interest  in 
every  good  cause,  his  thorough  consecration  of  heart  and  life,  and 
his  untiring  activity  in  the  Master's  service,  believing  that  we 
will  thus  most  honor  him  and  best  glorify  God. 

4.  Resolved,  That  as  a  testimony  of  our  esteem  for  the  de- 
ceased these  resolutions  be  adopted  by  a  rising  vote,  and  that  a 
copy  of  the  same  be  spread  upon  the  minutes  of  the  General 
Synod. 

FROM  REV.  DR.  CONRAD,  OF  THE  LUTHERAN  OBSERVER. 

Dr.  Stork  was  endowed  with  rare  natural  talents,  and 
received  a  thorough  literary  and  theological  education. 
His  thirst  for  knowledge  impelled  him  to  make  full  proof 
of  his  ministry  by  reading  and  diligence  in  study.  Giving 
special  attention  to  exegesis  and  theology,  he  did  not, 
however,  limit  his  researches  to  their  respective  bounda- 
ries, but  extended  his  inquiries  to  other  departments  of 
knowledge.  He  kept  pace  with  the  progress  of  science, 
was  well  read  in  history  and  general  literature,  was  a 
master  in  Greek,  and  well  versed  in  philosophy.  His 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


245 


mind  was  one  of  peculiar  mould,  and  his  gifts  distinguished 
by  great  excellencies.  He  had  clear  apprehensions  of 
truth,  and  a  remarkable  facility,  terseness,  simplicity  and 
beauty  of  expression.  He  was  also  gifted  with  a  pro- 
found spiritual  insight  into  the  mind  of  the  Spirit  as  ex- 
pressed in  the  Scriptures,  and  had  the  happy  faculty  of 
bringing  out  the  hidden  meaning  of  the  Word  by  apt  and 
striking  illustrations.  He  was  also  possessed  of  fine  liter- 
ary taste,  a  good  memory,  and  great  fluency  of  speech. 
These  varied  attainments  he  exhibited  both  in  his  writings 
and  in  his  sermons  in  the  pulpit. 

As  a  writer,  Dr.  Stork  was  distinguished  by  his  purity 
of  style,  richness  of  illustration,  and  spiritual  unction. 
His  articles  published  in  the  Observer  and  the  Quarterly 
Review  have  placed  him  in  the  front  rank  of  our  literary 
men.  As  a  preacher,  he  brought  out  of  the  Scriptures 
"things  old,"  clothed  them  in  new  forms  of  expression, 
and  invested  them  with  peculiar  freshness  and  force. 
Thoroughly  acquainted  with  his  people,  he  discussed  sub- 
jects adapted  to  their  wants,  and  kept  back  nothing  that 
was  profitable  unto  them.  While  he  made  careful  pre- 
paration, he  did  not  read  his  discourses,  but  delivered 
them  in  a  clear  style  and  in  an  easy  and  natural  manner. 

In  person  Dr.  Stork  was  of  medium  height,  and  of  a 
phlegmatic  temperament,  easy  and  natural  in  his  manner, 
and  undemonstrative  in  his  bearing.  While  he  was  re- 
served and  unobtrusive  in  society,  he  was,  nevertheless, 
a  genial  and  pleasant  companion.  In  his  intercourse  with 
his  brethren  he  was  modest,  kind  and  considerate.  In 
his  pastoral  relations  he  was  peculiarly  happy.  He 


246     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


moved  among  his  parishioners  as  a  spiritual  father, 
intimate  friend  and  wise  counsellor,  and  was  cherished 
by  them  with  peculiar  tenderness  and  affection.  His  de- 
voted piety,  pastoral  fidelity  and  pulpit  ability,  were  de- 
monstrated in  the  numerical  increase,  the  spiritual  pro- 
gress, and  the  Christian  liberality  and  activity  of  St. 
Mark's  church,  to  which  he  ministered  for  nearly  twenty 
years.  Its  members  are  his  epistles,  who  "  remember 
the  words  which  he  spake  unto  them  while  he  was  yet 
with  them,"  and  will  cherish  his  memory  in  their  heart 
of  hearts  to  the  last  day  of  their  lives.  But  his  influence 
was  not  confined  to  his  own  congregation.  He  took  a 
lively  interest  in  every  good  work  in  the  city.  As  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  and  more 
recently  as  its  president  and  the  editor  of  the  foreign 
department  of  the  Missionary  Journal,  he  rendered 
valuable  service,  and  exerted  an  extensive  influence. 

As  a  professor,  Dr.  Stork's  labors  were  of  short 
duration ;  the  intervention  of  war  compelled  him  to  vacate 
the  chair  of  Greek  at  Newberry,  and  the  inroads  of  dis- 
ease cut  short  his  theological  labors  in  the  Seminary. 
His  instructions  in  both  institutions  were,  nevertheless, 
sufficient  to  establish  his  theological  ability  and  aptness 
to  teach,  and  to  give  the  assurance  that,  if  he  had  been 
permitted  to  continue  at  his  post,  his  success  in  the 
professor's  chair  would  have  equaled  that  which  he 
achieved  in  the  pulpit. 

God's  dealings  with  our  theological  seminaries  in  the 
East  are  strikingly  significant,  and  call  for  serious  reflec- 
tion.   Just  four  years  ago,  Dr.  J.  A.  Brown,  the  pre- 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


247 


decessor  of  Dr.  Stork  in  the  Seminary  at  Gettysburg, 
was  made  speechless  by  a  stroke  of  aphasia,  and  a  little 
less  than  two  years  ago  he  was  laid  to  rest  at  Lancaster, 
in  his  native  county.  A  short  time  before,  Dr.  C.  F. 
SchaefFer,  Professor  in  the  Philadelphia  Seminary,  was 
called  from  his  labors  on  earth  ;  and  less  than  a  year 
ago,  Dr.  C.  P.  Krauth,  Professor  of  Theology  in  the 
same  institution,  was  stricken  down  in  the  zenith  of  his 
intellectual  powers.  And  scarce  a  year  had  passed  after 
Dr.  Stork  commenced  this  theological  work  at  Gettys- 
burg, when  he  was  disabled  by  disease,  and  now  the 
church  is  called  on  to  mourn  his  departure  from  earth. 
But  one  of  these  distinguished  theologians  had  reached 
the  period  allotted  to  man ;  three  of  them  died  in  the 
midst  of  their  labors,  and  in  the  very  prime  of  life.  In 
view  of  these  inscrutable  providences  of  God,  we  are  con- 
strained to  exclaim:  "How  unsearchable  are  His  judg- 
ments, and  His  ways  past  finding  out !" 

Our  relations  with  Dr.  Stork  were  of  the  most  intimate 
character.  Our  intimacy  began  more  than  twenty  years 
ago  and  continued  until  the  day  of  his  death.  Our  asso- 
ciation with  his  father,  as  associate  editor  of  the  Observer , 
both  in  Baltimore  and  Philadelphia,  brought  us  frequently 
together,  and  gave  us  opportunity  of  knowing  him  well, 
and  constantly  strengthened  our  esteem  and  affection  for 
him.  We  felt  towards  him  more  like  a  father,  and  mourn 
him,  as  far  as  that  is  possible,  not  only  as  a  brother  be- 
loved, but  also  as  a  son.  We  regarded  him  personally 
as  one  of  the  excellent  of  the  earth ;  intellectually,  as  an 
original  thinker,  an  accomplished  scholar  and  polished 


248     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


writer;  and  ecclesiastically,  as  one  of  the  most  effective 
preachers  and  ablest  theologians  in  the  Lutheran  church 
of  this  country.  If  to  any  one  can  be  justly  applied  the 
inspiring  declaration  of  the  prophet  Daniel,  it  can  be  to 
him :  "  They  that  be  wise  shall  shine  as  the  brightness 
of  the  firmament ;  and  they  that  turn  many  to  righteous- 
ness, as  the  stars  forever  and  ever." 

DR.  STORK  AS  A  THEOLOGIAN,  BY  REV.  DR.  VALENTINE. 

Theological  Seminary, 
Gettysburg,  Pa.,  April  30,  1885. 
Rev.  J.  G.  M. — Dear  Doctor:  You  have  asked  me  for  a  word 
concerning  Dr.  Stork  as  a  theologian.  I  comply  with  your  re- 
quest the  more  willingly  because  of  the  possibility  that  his  other 
intellectual  and  spiritual  excellencies  may  draw  away  attention 
unfairly  from  what  is  due  him  in  this  relation.  Undoubtedly 
his  fine  intellectuality,  general  culture,  and  Christian  consecra- 
tion and  earnestness,  formed  his  most  noticeable  features  as  he 
was  recognized  when  living  and  is  now  remembered  by  the 
Church.  It  was  by  these  that  he  attracted  the  Church's  atten- 
tion, and  won  the  wide  admiration  and  love  with  which  he  is 
regarded.  Most  of  the  productions  of  his  facile  pen,  whether  in 
The  Lutheran  Quarterly  or  elsewhere,  dealt  with  the  living  ques- 
tions in  the  speculative  and  practical  inquiry  of  the  day.  Few 
men  were  more  thoroughly  abreast  with  the  knowledge  and 
thought  of  the  times,  or  more  competent  to  give  a  discriminating 
judgment  as  to  their  bearings.  His  discriminating  clearness, 
the  subtlety  of  his  analytic  power,  the  freshness  of  his  way  of 
presenting  and  illustrating  truth,  all  brightened  by  the  play  of 
a  rich  but  delicate  imagination,  made  all  his  discussions  delight- 
ful and  instructive  to  intelligent  and  cultured  readers.  But 
those  who  best  knew  Dr.  Stork,  knew  that  his  theological  at- 
tainments were  of  high  order.  It  would  have  been  almost  im- 
possible for  one  gifted  as  he  was,  with  such  varied  knowledge 
in  history,  literature  and  metaphysics,  and  so  keenly  interested 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


249 


in  all  the  highest  truth  that  has  been  engaging  Christian  think- 
ers, to  fail  to  do  fair  and  thorough  work  in  distinctly  theological 
study.  But  his  theological  habit  was  not  that  which  often  as- 
sumes to  make  the  theologian.  His  Christian  spirit  was  too 
living  and  earnest  to  be  satisfied  to  reduce  theology  to  the  tech- 
nicalities that  are  learned  by  rote  and  perpetuated  by  authority 
out  of  the  scholasticisms  of  the  past.  He  was,  indeed,  well 
versed  in  the  history  of  doctrines,  and  in  the  theological  discus- 
sions through  which  the  doctrines  have  been  shaped  in  dogmat- 
ics. But  his  earnest  spirit  was  more  concerned  with  the  sub- 
stance of  truth  than  with  its  forms.  To  him  theology  was  much 
more  than  the  simple  mastery  of  the  dogmatician's  definitions 
and  formalse  and  rounded  system,  put  into  the  mind  by  a  sort 
of  mechanical  transfer,  and  coldly  kept  in  the  memory.  To  him 
it  was  the  living  knowledge  of  God — not  wanting,  indeed,  in 
systematic  accuracy,  but  fused  by  the  fervor  of  his  soul  into  the 
practical  aims  of  redemption  and  life.  With  all  his  intellectu- 
ality he  illustrated  the  old  maxim  :  Pectus  facit  theologum. 

Though  so  full  of  the  earnest  living  present,  Dr.  Stork  was  by 
no  means  disposed  to  break  with  the  past,  as  so  many  do,  or  to 
vaunt  the  knowledge  of  this  age,  as  if  the  theology  of  earlier 
centuries  were  of  little  or  no  account.  He  was  at  once  conser  - 
vative and  progressive  ;  and  few  men  recognized  more  fully  than 
he  how  firmly  and  grandly  all  the  great  doctrines  of  God  and 
redemption,  as  formulated  in  the  orthodox  faith  of  the  Church, 
have  stood  all  ordeals,  and  are  but  growing  stronger  in  their 
victories.  Those  who  remember  his  essay  on  Liturgical  Forms 
in  Worship,  at  the  Lutheran  Diet  in  1877,  will  need  no  other 
evidence  of  his  strong  grasp  upon  the  principle  of  the  continu- 
ity of  theology  and  church-life.  He  showed  in  theology  the  same 
intellectual  characteristics  which  marked  him  in  the  other  rela- 
tions— wide  range  of  view  and  observation,  cautious  and  subtle 
analysis,  and  sound  discrimination.  This  close  analytic  discrim- 
ination is  well  illustrated  in  his  review  of  Newman  on  Justifica- 
tion. 

Our  interest  in  Dr.  Stork  as  a  theologian  is  mainly  concerned 
with  relation  to  Lutheran  theology.     His  reception  of  theo- 


250     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


logical  training  in  a  non-Lutheran  institution  did  not  alienate 
his  love  from  his  Church  or  her  theology.  There  was  a  natural 
affinity  between  his  deep  pietistic  temper  and  the  theology  of  his 
Church.  Both  the  thoroughness  of  his  intellectual  habit  and 
the  helping  influence  of  his  practical  ministry,  led  him  into 
strong  attachment  to  the  system  of  truth  found  in  her  com- 
munion. Those  who  recall  his  discussion,  some  years  ago,  of 
the  subject  of  ministers  changing  their  ecclesiastical  relations, 
will  have  no  doubt  of  the  strength  with  which  his  convictions 
had  made  the  Lutheran  system  of  theology  his  own.  And  while 
he  troubled  himself  comparatively  little  with  the  dry  and  rigid 
definitions  and  old  phrases  of  the  scholastic  dogmaticians,  his 
theology  laid  hold  of  all  they  sought  after.  It  was  one  feature 
of  the  service  he  was  rendering  in  the  Seminary,  that  instead  of 
fixing,  by  mechanical  drill,  the  old  technicalities  in  the  minds 
of  the  students,  he  was  translating  the  Lutheran  theology,  in  its 
profoundest  essence  and  life,  into  the  forms  of  thought  and 
speech  of  the  living  present. 

Yours  most  fraternally,         M.  Valentine. 

TRIBUTE  BY  REV.  DR.  WOLF,  OF  GETTYSBURG. 
A  SANCTIFIED  SOUL. 

That  Dr.  Stork  was  a  man  of  extraordinary  excellence 
was  never  questioned  by  any  one  who  was  intimately 
associated  with  him  in  life.  His  supereminence  was  so 
patent  that  it  never  awakened  the  envy  of  those  who 
stood  nearest  to  him.  You  might  long  to  reach  the  sun- 
lit altitude  in  which  his  lofty  spirit  was  calmly  moving, 
but  you  could  not  expect  soon  to  rise  to  such  a  height, 
much  less  think  of  dragging  him  down  to  the  common 
level  by  base  disparagement. 

It  was  especially  a  pure,  exalted  and  fervent  spiritu- 
ality that  distinguished  this  dear  brother.  He  was  a 
holy  man.    His  life  was  hid  with  Christ  in  God.    I  never 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


251 


sustained  close  personal  relations  to  any  one  else  who  to 
my  mind  possessed  so  large  a  measure  of  the  spirit  of 
Christ,  and  so  near  an  approximation  to  Him. 

His  society  was  sure  to  be  an  inspiration  to  one's 
heart,  just  as  it  proved  a  never-failing  stimulant  to  one's 
mind.  My  greatest  regret  on  leaving  the  pastorate  in 
Baltimore,  was  the  consciousness  of  what  I  was  losing  in 
separating  from  one  whose  intense  spiritual  influence  I 
had  so  often  felt.  When  at  a  later  period  I  was  again 
to  have  the  privilege  of  being  daily  associated  with  him 
in  the  Theological  Seminary,  I  welcomed  him  particularly 
in  view  of  the  godly  aroma  which  his  presence  here 
would  be  sure  to  diffuse.  To  be  an  hour  with  him  was 
to  be  carried  away  from  sensuous  and  sordid  objects,  and 
to  be  lifted  to  the  enjoyment  of  divine  and  eternal  things. 
In  an  experience  of  twenty  years  of  intimate  friendship 
I  never  detected  in  him  a  selfish  thought,  or  had  the 
faintest  reason  to  suspect  an  unworthy  aim,  an  interested 
motive,  or  a  vindictive  feeling.  He  never  sought  his 
own,  never  seemed  to  have  a  thought  of  himself,  of  his 
superior  gifts,  or  of  any  personal  advantage.  He  never 
manifested  a  spark  of  what  is  called  ambition.  Honor, 
popularity,  crowds,  were  nothing  to  him.  He  was  a 
stranger,  apparently,  to  the  peculiar  temptations  of  the 
ministry.  He  was  an  Israelite  in  whom  there  was  no 
guile. 

It  was  the  divine  power  in  his  soul  that  made  him  the 
model  of  a  successful  pastor.  Nature  had  not  endowed 
him  with  those  peculiar  social  qualities  which  prove  so 


252     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 

helpful  in  pastoral  ministrations  among  all  classes,  but  he 
had  the  wisdom  from  above  which  inspires  men  with  tact 
and  adaptation  ;  he  bore  his  people  priest-like  upon  his 
heart,  as  every  one  felt  on  hearing  him  offer  his  inimitable 
prayers ;  and  his  conscience  withal  gave  him  the  courage 
both  to  tell  every  man  his  whole  duty,  and  to  minister  to 
every  needy  soul,  even  at  the  risk  of  fatal  contagion. 

It  was  largely  the  riches  of  his  spiritual  resources  that 
left  him  without  a  peer  in  the  Lutheran  pulpit.  In  his 
preaching  he  knew  nothing  but  Jesus  and  Him  crucified. 
Though  he  had  enjoyed  a  wider  and  perhaps  a  deeper 
range  of  reading  than  any  of  us,  his  pulpit  was  too  sacred 
to  be  converted  into  a  show-window  for  the  display  of  his 
learning.  The  effect  of  all  his  striking  illustrations,  his 
brilliant  thought  and  tender  pathos,  was  to  make  his 
audience  see  "  Jesus  only."  Who  that  listened  to  his 
sermons  on  "  Christ  died  for  our  sins  according  to  the 
scriptures,"  "  I  beheld,  and  lo,  in  the  midst  of  the  throne 
.  .  .  stood  a  lamb  as  it  had  been  slain,"  "  Show  us  the 
Father,"  "Lead  me  to  the  rock  that  is  higher  than  I," 
could  fail  to  have  his  heart  fired  with  the  love  of  Jesus, 
and  to  feel  strengthened  with  might  in  the  inner  man  ? 
When,  occasionally,  in  Baltimore,  the  opportunity  was 
given  me  of  hearing  other  men  preach,  I  would  some- 
times go  to  hear  Dr.  G's  eloquence,  Dr.  J's  originality, 
or  Dr.  M's  metaphysics  ;  but  when  I  craved  spiritual 
nourishment  I  always  went  to  St.  Mark's,  and  invariably 
found  a  gospel  feast.  I  do  not,  indeed,  recollect  having 
ever  gone  elsewhere  when  I  had  the  privilege  of  hearing 
Dr.  Stork. 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


253 


From  his  abiding  devotion  to  his  Lord  sprung  also  his 
inflexible  loyalty  to  the  Lutheran  church.  Having  grown 
up  at  a  period  when  secession  from  his  mother  church 
had  become  a  fashion,  and  having  received  his  entire 
classical  and  theological  training  in  New  England,  it 
would  have  been  little  short  of  a  miracle  for  him  to  have 
felt  any  special  attachment  to  a  denomination  which  to 
the  eye  of  sense  at  that  time  presented  such  an  uninviting 
contrast  to  the  dominant  churches  of  the  country.  I 
knew  Dr.  Stork  when  he  would  have  sacrificed  no  doc- 
trinal conviction,  no  affection,  and  no  taste,  in  changing 
his  ecclesiastical  relations.  He  made  no  secret  of  the 
fact  that  he  knew  the  full  force  of  the  temptations  which 
have  lured  ministers  away  from  the  Lutheran  pulpits. 
At  that  time  his  support  was  $1,500  per  year,  of  which 
$500  had  to  be  paid  for  the  rent  of  a  small  and  indifferent 
house.  He  could  have  readily  commanded  in  other  com- 
munions a  salary  five  or  eight  times  that  amount,  and  might 
have  preached  to  crowds  of  cultured  people  in  Boston,  New 
York  or  Philadelphia ;  but  how  often  was  he  heard  to  re- 
mark :  "  The  arguments  for  leaving  the  Lutheran  church 
are  from  below,  not  from  above."  Every  move  of  that 
kind  he  considered  a  move  to  the  rear,  where  it  required 
less  nerve  and  smaller  sacrifices  to  be  a  soldier.  "Christ," 
he  would  say,  "  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to  min- 
ister;" why  should  His  servant  seek  to  be  above  Him, 
and  lay  down  the  cross  which  the  Master  gave  him.  The 
Lutheran  church  had  need  of  him,  and  Providence  had 
cast  his  lot  in  her  pale ;  this  left  the  path  of  duty  unmis- 
takable— and  of  other  paths  his  heart  knew  nothing. 
12 


254     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


His  nearness  10  God,  finally,  made  him  the  type  of 
a  Lutheran  theologian.  For  dogmatics,  as  commonly 
understood  and  taught,  he  had  no  predilections.  And 
on  accepting  the  call  to  the  Seminary,  his  mental  tastes 
would  have  chosen  other  branches.  The  Calvinistic  sys- 
tem which  he  had  learned  at  Andover  was  repugnant  to 
his  whole  nature,  and  the  manner  in  which  Lutheran 
divines  were  contending  about  creeds  and  forms  of  doc- 
trine gave  him  at  first  hardly  a  better  view  of  Lutheran 
theology.  As  for  making  cast-iron  formulas  out  of  the 
living  verities  of  salvation,  such  attempts  seemed  to  him 
equivalent  to  stifling  the  truth.  But  he  came  in  the 
course  of  his  development  to  see  that  Lutheran  dogmatics 
are  essentially  but  the  clear  and  irrefutable  answer  to  the 
sinner's  cry,  "What  must  I  do  to  be  saved?"  the  lucid 
exhibition  of  the  fulness  of  divine  grace,  which  through 
the  church  is  steadily  dispensed  to  believers.  The  Christ 
who  was  all  and  in  all  to  him,  he  found,  is  the  centre 
around  which  the  Lutheran  system  revolves,  and  in  every 
radiation  from  that  centre  he  recognized  a  ray  from  the 
Sun  of  Righteousness.  Thus  the  heavenly  leaven  pene- 
trated all  his  thinking,  as  well  as  all  his  activities. 
Every  fruit  of  the  Spirit,  "  goodness,  righteousness  and 
•truth"  as  well  as  "  love,  joy  and  peace,"  had  its  healthy, 
rounded  growth  in  him.  ***** 

What  a  fitting  close  to  his  earthly  career  that  the  last 
product  of  his  fertile  pen  should  have  been  that  article 
on  "The  Growing  Life,"  called  forth,  it  may  be  re- 
marked, by  a  request  from  the  writer,  who  thought  that 
some  utterances  on  that  theme  from  him,  when  so  near 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


255 


the  gate  of  heaven,  would  offer  the  most  precious  per- 
fume with  which  to  embalm  his  own  blessed  life  in  our 
hearts. 

Farewell,  thou  gentle,  pure  and  consecrated  soul! 
Hadst  thou  not  been  so  ripe,  God  might  have  spared 
thee  a  little  longer  to  us.  Our  tears  are  not  for  thee, 
but  for  ourselves.  And  no  grief  of  ours  shall  ever  efface 
our  gratitude  to  God  for  having  cast  our  lot  within  the 
shadow  of  thy  life,  and  for  having  brought  us  under  the 
sound  of  thy  sermons  and  prayers,  and  within  the  hallow- 
ing circle  of  thy  personal  influence. 

MINUTE  ON  THE  DEATH  OF  DR.  C.  A.  STORK, 

ADOPTED  BY  THE  BOARD  OF  THE  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY  OF 
THE  GENERAL  SYNOD  AT  GETTYSBURG. 

The  Rev.  Charles  A.  Stork,  D.  D.,  was  third  of  the 
name  in  the  ministry  of  the  Lutheran  Church  in  this 
country.  His  father,  Rev.  Theophilus  Stork,  D.  D.,  oc- 
cupied a  prominent  position  for  a  number  of  years,  in 
which  he  attained  great  usefulness,  and  died  universally 
beloved  and  lamented.  His  grandfather,  Rev.  Charles 
Augustus  Stork  (Storch)  was  noted  for  great  activity, 
fervent  piety,  and  abundant  labors  for  Christ. 

Thus  worthily  descended,  Dr.  Stork  added  new  lustre 
to  the  honored  name  of  his  fathers.  He  was  richly  en- 
dowed with  those  grand  qualities  of  mind  and  heart, 
which  form  the  basis  of  a  noble  character  and  a  useful 
life.  To  these  were  added  the  strength  and  finish  which 
close  application  and  loving  service  yield.  Thus  equipped, 
he  entered  the  field  to  which  Providence  so  clearly  di- 


256     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


rected  him  with  every  prospect  of  success.  In  this  there 
was  no  disappointment,  save  such  only  as  was  occasioned 
by  physical  weakness  and  premature  exhaustion.  His 
preparation  and  furnishing  for  the  high  position  in  which 
he  closed  his  active  arid  useful  life  were  singularly  happy 
and  complete.  His  methods  of  study  and  address  quali- 
fied him  for  great  acceptability  in  the  pulpit,  on  the  floor 
of  synod,  and  in  the  professor's  chair.  His  strong  grasp 
of  mind,  unswerving  fidelity  to  the  truth  and  to  the  sym- 
bols of  his  Church,  in  which  he  found  that  truth  so  clearly 
stated,  and  his  reputation  for  general  scholarship,  pointed 
him  out  very  prominently  as  the  fitting  successor  of  Drs. 
Schmucker,  Krauth  and  Brown,  in  the  faculty  of  this 
Theological  Seminary.  His  service,  though  cut  short  by 
early  decline  and  death,  was  most  satisfactory  and  bene- 
ficial. His  clear  and  positive  convictions,  flowing  through 
the  channel  of  a  tender  sympathy  and  unassumed  affec- 
tion, were  calculated  to  exert  a  happy  influence  upon  his 
colleagues  and  pupils.  His  removal  after  great  bodily 
suffering,  in  which  God's  grace  grandly  triumphed,  was 
accepted  by  the  Church  with  becoming  submission,  but 
with  deepest  grief  and  lasting  regret. 

As  an  expression  of  our  feelings  upon  this  sad  be- 
reavement, we  suggest  the  following  action : 

Resolved,  That  we  hereby  place  upon  record  our  sincere  grati- 
tude to  Almighty  God  for  bestowing  upon  this  cherished  Insti- 
tution the  efficient  services  of  one  so  eminently  qualified  for  the 
position,  and  also  our  high  appreciation  of  the  ability,  faithful- 
ness and  zeal  with  which,  ofttimes  under  great  physical  prostra- 
tion, our  late  lamented  friend  and  brother  discharged  his  arduous 
and  responsible  duties. 


REV.  CHARLES  A,  STORK,  D.  D. 


257 


Resolved,  That  we  anew  recognize  and  acknowledge  the  claims 
upon  ourselves  and  the  Church  we  represent,  of  an  Institution 
which  has  been  sustained  and  nurtured  by  the  life -labors  of  so 
many  devoted  and  faithful  teachers. 

Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  this  minute,  with  an  expression  of 
our  Christian  sympathy  and  condolence,  be  transmitted  by  the 
officers  of  this  Board  to  the  family  of  the  deceased. 

A   FEEBLE  TRIBUTE   TO    A    SAINTLY  SOUL. 
REV.  JOS.  H.  BARCLAY,   D.  D. 

A  saintly  soul  has  entered  into  rest.  "After  life's  fit- 
ful fever,  our  brother  sleeps  well."  The  learned  men 
and  great  doctors  of  the  Church  have  offered  their  tribute. 
Surely  one  who  was  associated  intimately  with  ten  years 
of  his  pastoral  life  may  offer  a  feeble  utterance  at  the 
shrine  of  the  John  whom  he  loved.  Dr.  Stork  was  the 
John  of  our  modern  Lutheran  Church — a  man  who,  if  he 
sometimes  felt  to  call  down  the  fire  of  heaven  on  those 
who  abused  her,  was  himself  so  true,  so  devoted,  so  con- 
sistent, so  loving,  that  his  blows  were  sweeter  than  some 
men's  kisses ;  and  no  living  man,  however  much  he 
questioned  his  views,  ever  doubted  for  one  second  his 
sterling  integrity  and  rectitude  of  life  and  purpose. 

On  this  man's  scholarship  and  rare  intellectual  endow- 
ments, it  will  be  better  for  the  readers  of  this  article  to 
hear  the  voice  of  the  leaders  of  our  Church.  They  are 
most  competent  for  the  work — that  is,  if  Elijah's  mantle 
can  be  found  on  any  living  Elisha.  The  writer's  privi- 
lege is  not  to  write  of  schools  and  schoolmen,  but  of  the 
Christly  character  of  a  God-endowed  man,  who  always 
bore  the  sign  and  patent  of  his  Christian  nobility  about 
him. 

12* 


258     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 

Dr.  Stork  was  such  a  plain,  unostentatious  man  that 
the  world  and  myriads  in  the  Church  who  crave  signs 
and  love  glitter  instead  of  gold  did  not  appreciate  him. 
He  did  not  draw  crowds  to  his  ministry;  he  did  not  pub- 
lish books ;  he  did  not  shine  in  mixed  assemblies  ;  he  did 
not  preach  grand  sermons  and  thrill  listening  multitudes ; 
sometimes  he  was  lethargic,  even  careless ;  occasionally 
needed  stirring  ;  but  take  him  all  in  all,  he  ranks  in  the 
front,  with  the  sweet,  pure,  saintly,  and  imperial  souls 
that  have  helped  the  world  to  higher  conception  of  life 
by  having  lived  in  the  world.  He  was  among  the  men 
meant  by  Webster,  the  statesman,  when  he  said  that  for 
successful  men,  however  crowded  the  lo?7er  plains,  there 
was  plenty  of  room  at  the  top.  And  on  the  summit  he 
stood,  as  scholar,  as  theologian,  as  philosopher,  as 
preacher,  pastor,  and  personal  friend.  It  is  exceptional 
for  sons  to  equal  a  very  able  father — more  rare  for  sons 
to  surpass  their  fathers  ;  yet  Dr.  Stork,  the  son,  was  a 
much  stronger  man  than  his  father,  and  the  latter  was 
among  the  great  leaders  of  our  beloved  faith. 

In  no  one  feature  of  his  ministerial  life  do  we  remem- 
ber our  brother  so  well  as  in  our  Monday  morning  minis- 
terial meetings  in  Baltimore.  During  ten  years  of  the 
writer's  pastoral  life  in  Baltimore  we  met  together.  We 
had  no  stiff  formal  meetings,  and  rarely  a  set  theme  ;  we 
simply  met  and  talked  of  Christ,  and  the  Church,  and  our 
work.  Here  Dr.  Stork  shone  as  the  world  and  hosts  of 
the  church  did  not  know  him.  Conversant  with  books 
and  men,  possessing  rare  philosophical  insight,  he  unrav- 
elled the  tangled  threads  of  theological  controversy,  and 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


259 


infused  into  the  most  abstruse  subjects  a  sweet,  personal, 
religious  power  that  made  his  utterances  like  apples  of 
gold  in  frame-work  of  silver.  His  thoughts  weighed  ; 
his  ideas  convinced  ;  his  theology  convicted  ;  his  church 
love  overwhelmed.  He  was  our  leader.  A  small  man  in 
physique,  a  veritable  giant  in  discussion;  a  quiet  man  in 
manner,  a  Boanerges  in  ideas ;  exceedingly  modest  and 
diffident,  as  if  only  giving  utterance  to  the  most  trite  and 
common-place  thoughts,  and  yet  breathing  forth  a  richness 
of  thought  that  carried  conviction  with  every  sentence. 

As  a  personal  friend,  without  ostentation,  never  loud, 
utterly  devoid  of  pretension,  plain-spoken,  never  bitter, 
concise  in  words,  careful  in  judgment,  clear  as  sunbeams, 
open  as  light,  true  to  the  core. 

As  a  preacher,  calm,  scholarly,  pungent,  original  in 
manner  and  matter,  always  fresh,  powerful,  and  at  times 
actually  sublime.  As  Mr.  Moody,  the  evangelist,  said 
of  him,  "the  grandest  preacher  in  Baltimore;"  but 
Baltimore  didn't  know  it.  Others  who  had  not  brains, 
but  brass,  and  lived  by  puffing,  gathered  crowds  ;  he 
never  did  ;  but  his  true  monument  is  in  the  true  souls  he 
gathered  into  St.  Mark's,  the  best  working  church  of  the 
Lutheran  faith  in  the  Monumental  City. 

As  a  scholar  and  theologian,  let  those  speak  who  are 
most  competent.  If  Dr.  Stork  had  his  superior  among 
us,  we  should  be  glad  to  know  the  name. 

As  a  churchman,  he  was  as  true  as  in  his  friendship ; 
he  was  a  thorough  Lutheran,  and  believed,  heart  and 
soul,  in  the  doctrines  and  usages  of  our  church.  He  had 
no  sympathy  with  imitation  of  other  denominations.  He 


260     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


knew  that  the  Lutheran  church,  doctrinally,  was  sound. 
He  knew  that  her  usages  were  among  the  best.  He 
stood  by  the  old  ways,  and  walked  in  them,  and  was  a 
leader  for  others  who  halted,  or  trembled,  or  aimed  for 
new  paths. 

We  have  said  that  Dr.  Stork  wrote  no  books.  In  one 
respect  this  is  unfortunate.  It  was  the  custom  annually 
in  Baltimore  for  several  of  the  pastors  to  hold  meetings 
in  the  various  churches,  and  alternately  lecture  on  themes 
relating  to  the  Lutheran  church.  Dr.  Stork  always  led, 
and  lectured  from  notes.  Who  among  us  will  not  regret 
that  no  copies  exist  of  these  lectures,  especially  among 
the  last,  his  masterly  exposition  of  Lutheranism  vs.  Puri- 
tanism? This  was  not  the  precise  title,  but  the  subject 
matter. 

Our  beloved  disciple  is  dead,  but  he  lives  in  the  mem- 
ory of  his  people,  of  his  brethren  in  the  ministry,  of  his 
students.  This  death  is  a  greater  loss  than  many  realize. 
We  sadly  lack  leaders  in  our  church  to-day.  Neverthe- 
less, though  the  workmen  die,  the  work  must  go  on. 
God's  cause  has  never  been  without  faithful,  true,  and 
able  witnesses,  in  all  ages  of  the  world. 

HIS  FUGITIVE  WRITINGS. 

A  literary  friend  writes :  "  In  regard  to  his  writings, 
I  can  mention  a  few  interesting  details.  I  remember  one 
or  two  things  he  wrote  for  the  New  York  Independent. 
One  was  some  short  verses  as  a  parody  of  the  hymn,  <  0, 
to  be  brethren the  refrain  to  which  was,  4  Oh,  to  be 
something.'  It  was  intended  as  a  rebuke  in  a  pleasant 
way  of  certain  errors  of  Christian  teaching,  as  he  thought. 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


261 


Some  notices  of  theological  books,  written  by  him  for 
the  Lutheran  Observer,  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
editor  of  The  Independent  (N.  Y.)  He  received  in 
consequence  a  theological  work  from  that  paper  for 
review.  He  also  wrote  for  The  Independent  some  other 
articles. 

He  also  wrote  for  The  Home  Monthly,  his  father's 
last  journalistic  enterprise.  He  also  had  the  usual 
leaning  to  poetry  and  fiction  common  to  young  men  of 
literary  taste.  There  was,  I  believe,  a  blank  verse 
tragedy  attempted. 

You  know  that  he  contributed  numerous  articles  to 
various  journals  and  church  papers,  some  of  which  have 
been  republished  in  a  neat  volume  and  which  has  received 
deserved  commendation  from  competent  critics.  There 
is  much  more  material  that  should  be  gathered  and  pub- 
lished in  book  form,  for  he  was,  undoubtedly,  one  of  the 
most  polished,  thoughtful  and  forcible  writers  our  church 
has  ever  had  in  this  country.  The  article  on  Bishop 
Butler,  in  the  Lutheran  Quarterly,  always  struck  me 
as  in  his  best  vein.  Indeed  all  his  Review  articles  display 
the  man  of  genius,  learning,  taste  and  piety. 

FROM  A  STUDENT. 

It  was  my  privilege  to  be  for  a  few  months,  during  the  winter 
of  1882-3,  under  Dr.  Stork's  instruction.  At  that  time  the  dis- 
ease which  caused  his  death  was  beginning  to  cause  increasing 
trouble,  and  his  work  was  constantly  interrupted.  The  lectures 
he  gave  my  class  were  on  theology.  The  science  was  just  being 
opened  up  to  us  when  Dr.  Stork  was  compelled  to  lay  aside  his 
pen.  In  these  lectures  the  same  clearness  of  expression,  felicity 
of  illustration  and  depth  of  original  thought  were  observable 


262     THE  STORK  FAMILY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


that  so  eminently  characterized  his  sermons  and  addresses.  A 
wide  acquaintance  with  the  subject  made  his  manner  easy  and 
forcible,  and  the  lectures  were  delivered  from  copious  notes, 
never  read.  The  main  points  were  dictated,  and  then,  branch- 
ing out  in  explanation  and  application,  all  the  range  of  his  ex- 
tensive and  complete  knowledge  was  brought  into  play,  making 
up  a  most  fascinating  exposition  of  even  the  deepest  and  most 
complex  truths.  None  could  listen  to  him  without  being  im- 
pressed with  the  deep  earnestness  and  desire  to  instruct  that 
marked  him.  Gentle  and  patient  to  the  dull  student,  he  ever 
strove  to  bring  out  all  that  was  in  a  man,  and  yet  insisted  on 
every  lecture  being  prepared  for  recitation  by  his  class  in  the 
most  perfect  manner  possible.  Well  does  my  class  recall  one 
occasion,  when,  for  some  cause  or  other,  the  preparation  not  be- 
ing what  it  should  have  been,  Dr.  Stork  said:  "Gentlemen, 
you  must  take  this  lecture  for  the  next  time,  and  I  want  it  pre- 
pared correctly."  In  the  Greek  recitations  which  he  conducted 
with  all  the  students,  the  translation  of  the  New  Testament, 
many  a  hard  point  was  made  clear  by  his  explanations  ;  and  in 
the  rhetorical  exercises,  while  he  often  criticised  severely  the 
oratorical  flights  of  some  ambitious  student,  he  ever  found  some- 
thing to  praise,  and  never  gave  offense  to  even  the  most  fastidi- 
ous. When  a  debate  was  given  on  some  assigned  topic,  after  it 
was  finished  he  took  up  each  speaker's  arguments,  and  showed 
the  falsity  and  incorrectness,  or  the  sharpness  and  application 
of  each,  then  summing  up  the  whole,  he  presented  it  in  such  a 
way  that  we  never  forgot  it.  His  influence  on  those  with  whom 
he  came  in  contact  was  always  for  good,  and  no  one  met  him 
without  feeling  that  he  was  in  the  presence  of  a  master  mind. 
Quiet,  unobtrusive,  retiring,  he  was  a  very  model  of  a  scholar, 
whose  life,  though  short,  will  be  recalled  with  grateful  memory 
by  those  who  had  the  opportunity  of  meeting  and  knowing  him. 

Thus  I  close  the  brief  narrative  of  this  remarkable 
man's  career.  A  much  larger  volume  might  have  been 
filled  with  the  story  of  his  life,  but  I  was  compelled  to 
yield  to  an  authority  that  could  not  be  resisted,  and  it 


REV.  CHARLES  A.  STORK,  D.  D. 


263 


has  necessarily  been  confined  to  these  moderate  dimen- 
sions. 

The  partiality  of  friends  may  often  exaggerate  in  their 
estimate  of  those  of  whom  they  write  or  speak,  and  the 
reader  may  kindly  make  all  allowance  for  personal  prefer- 
ence while  doubting  the  statement,  but  there  is  no  differ 
ence  of  opinion  in  exalted  estimate  of  the  character  of 
Dr.  Stork.  All  who  have  ever  known  him  agree  in 
awarding  to  him  the  highest  style  of  intellect,  the  most 
varied  and  extensive  acquirements,  and  the  most  profound 
piety. 

All  sincerely  deplored  his  early  departure  and  mourned 
that  our  Lutheran  Church  should  be  deprived  of  his  use- 
ful service  and  the  world  of  his  faultless  example. 

Ille  extinctus  amabitur. 


DATE  DUE 


DEMCO  38-297 


